Tim Hudak faces PC civil war

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/denounces+rift+Tory+caucus/3921010/story.html

The Landowners are getting loud. The Randy Hillier and Landowner backed Jack MacLaren failed in his attempt to take over the Carleton-Mississipi Mills (where MacLaren is going to be running for the nomination against party stalwart Norm Sterling, with MacLaren apparently dramatically outselling Sterling in membership) but the war of words continues.

Ed Kennedy, a higher-up in the Landowners movement and an exec on Hillier's riding association says:


This all goes to demonstrate that there are red tories in the party pulling strings, in my estimation. The left knows and fears that the landowner movement is and will effect changes for the better that embody rural rights and Conservative values but due to the success of Randy Hillier, they failed to stop his entry. They fear two honest men in the party and the more in line to come.

This was not unexpected, the same thing happened to Shawn [ED NOTE: This is in reference to the controversial disqualification of Shawn Carmichael, a Landowner backed candidate in the Leeds-Grenville PC nomination, which I covered extensively: http://theliberalscarf.blogspot.com/2010/02/trouble-brewing-for-tories-in-leeds.html] and is more of the same old, same old. The party had been giving Jack a hard time all along since it was known he was going to run.

The loser of course is the party, choosing bootlickers of questionable character over honest men.

And Norm Sterling has struck back, accusing Randy Hillier of supporting MacLaren out of his office, and going as far to suggest that Hillier, who was a strong supporter of Hudak for PC leadership and shares his goal of attacking human rights in Ontario, should leave the PC Party:



"I believe that (Randy Hillier) should either fish or cut bait," Sterling said Thursday. "He should either be a member of the team or he should step outside the team and run as an Ontario Landowner under his own party label...
He said Hillier's office was helping Mac-Laren sell party memberships, and thus votes in the riding-association election, in the run-up to Wednesday's meeting. "He's very much involved," Sterling said.

Sterling called Hillier and MacLaren "political opportunists."

"They want to use the good name of the Progressive Conservative party to push their very narrow and right-wing agenda into the provincial arena," he said. "They don't believe in conservation authorities, they don't believe in milk marketing boards, they go so far as to say let's abandon our planning laws in the province of Ontario."

Sterling says an "uncomfortable" rift has now opened up within caucus, given Hillier's continued desire to unseat him and others."


Hudak issued a weak statement calling for party unity, which was promptly rebuffed by Sterling:


"I really believe the party has to deal with this issue," Sterling said in an interview Thursday. "You can't be wasting your energies on annual (riding association) meetings. I understand in a nomination meeting, if someone wants to run against you that's fine and dandy. It's part of our process. But to take over our organization when you haven't really been part of it and turn it into the Ontario Landowners Party under the name of PC? That shouldn't take place."


What will Hudak do, support the radical right tendency that he himself has openly played to and had the support of for leader, or his party's longest serving MPP?

Does Beth Graham want illegal machine guns in Ottawa West-Nepean?

Because her would be caucus mate Randy Hillier does.

Beth Graham served as President of the Leslie Park Community Association and the Nepean Federation of Community Associations, so she must have fairly strong feelings about the safety of her community. So how can she justify running for a Progressive Conservative Party which defends this:

http://www.kenoradailyminerandnews.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?archive=true&e=1850411

Bruce Montague was convicted of 26 firearms offences last year, including illegal possession of over 200 guns, and such wholesome family activities as altering semiautomatic firearms to fire automatically, removal of serial numbers, manufacture of silencers and disregard of storage regulations regarding loaded weapons. Montague's lawyer in the case was Doug Christie, a far-right political activist most well known for leading the separatist Western Block Party, and acting as a lawyer for a long list of Nazi war criminals, Neo-Nazis, anti-semites, and white supremacists, including Ernst Zündel, Paul Fromm, David Ahenakew, and many others.

So of course it should come as no surprise that PC Labour Critic, Tim Hudak supporter, and PC MPP Randy Hillier has jumped to his defense, speaking at a rally for Montague a couple days ago.

http://www.brucemontague.ca/html/0381.html

As her interview on CFRA demonstrated (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqkfThv9ZqU) Graham has a precious lack of policy understanding or platform, and now with her party coming out in support of criminals and jumping in bed with the far-right, it is clear that Ottawa West-Nepean deserves better.

Beth Graham and the Ontario PC's missing in action on climate change

Beth Graham, the PC's candidate for Ottawa West-Nepean, is a former chair of the Nepean Environmental Advisory Committee, but while she is running, perhaps she should get used to being ignored by the PC Party, since they are proud to ignore the climate change file.

Let's review the recent PC record when it comes to climate change and environmental issues:

First some numbers.

-Nepean-Carleton MPP Lisa MacLeod, who firmly supported Graham for the nomination has been invisible on the issue of climate change. The number of times MacLeod made any reference to climate change in her speeches in the legislature since being elected in 2006: 0

-Number of times the phrase "climate change" shows up on Beth Graham's website: 0

-Number of times the word "environment" appears on Graham's website, aside from direct references to her former chairing of the Advisory Committee: 0

--Number of times Tim Hudak's newsroom on his website has mentioned climate change since becoming leader in July 2009: 0

-Number of "From the Park Bench" articles written by Tim Hudak on his website which have mentioned climate change since he became leader: 0

-Number of times PC MPP's used the phrase "climate change" in Question Period debate concerning the Green Energy Act: 0 (see for yourself at http://www.ontariopc.com/?sc_itemid={08A4F8DB-0D09-475C-8721-3B0C8A0CC5B3)

-Number of times climate change has been mentioned in any PC news releases about the Green Energy Act: 0

And now some greater background info:

-The PC stunt of putting forward 500,000 amendments to the HST bill cost Ontario taxpayer a quarter of a million dollars and killed 620 trees worth of paper.

-The PC's voted against the Green Energy Act, which looks set to create thousands of jobs and help move forward the 21st century economy Ontario needs.

-Lisa MacLeod, who Graham used to work for, gave a number of speeches in the Legislature attacking the Green Energy Act. In these speeches she supported unscientific conspiracy theory claims linking wind turbines and health. While the Ontario Liberals create green jobs, the Ontario PC's would put ignorant ideology ahead of fighting climate change and creating new jobs.


-Toby Barrett is the PC environment critic, which is an apt title for him, since he is very quick to be critical of anything that could help the environment. A look at his website shows that he is a cheerleader for climate change denial, with a column on his website entitled "How much is climate change going to cost us?" saying that;

"By the time this column is published, global leaders will be discussing climate change in Copenhagen putting this issue where it belongs - in an international forum".

It is quite remarkable for a provincial party environment spokesperson would totally discount the role that sub-national governments have to play in fighting climate change, particularly considering that in Canada, the provincial governments, and in particular, the governments of Ontario, Quebec, and BC, have played leading roles.

-Barrett's website also includes a whole section dedicated to fighting against the eventual closure of coal fired plants in favour of cleaner energy sources, again, this is the official opposition environment spokesperson.

-Under the Hot Issues heading on his website, Barrett has nothing about climate change, but does have whole sections devoted to coal and tobacco. Again, this coming from the PC environment spokesperson.

-In regards to the government's cap and trade legislation, Barrett said this:

"Barrett warned government of the unwanted impact of provincial tinkering with a worldwide problem.

So the position of the Ontario PC's and Beth Graham is that taking action to help create jobs for Ontario, move the economy forward, and fight climate change is "unwanted tinkering"?

And of course, gotta love those Landowners:

-Randy Hillier, a would be caucus-mate of Graham, told environmental activists to "stop breathing".

-Hillier, who endorsed Hudak for PC leader, and is the labour critic for his party, openly denied climate change while running in the 2007 election;

" Randy Hillier, an Eastern Ontario Conservative candidate, isn't shy about casting doubt on the prevailing scientific theory about global warming...Mr. Hillier made the comments while arguing in favour of keeping Ontario's coal-burning power plants open...As to the greenhouse gases, don't worry about them, Mr. Hillier said."
(http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/features/ontariovotes2007/story.html?id=71f3e23a-f116-47bb-a876-2fb8532e433a&k=20655)

-The Ontario Landowners association's (of which Hillier used to be the president, and which has declared plans to attempt to win PC nominations in ridings across Ontario for the next election) Glengarry branch sponsored a screening of the trash climate change denial "documentary" The Great Global Warming Swindle in August 2008.

-The Unanimous Declaration of independent Landowners Associations on the 25th day of February, 2006 makes explicit reference to "false environmentalism".


If the PC's can't be trusted to put forward anything resembling a coherent platform regarding the environment, or indeed, take any steps under Tim Hudak to actually acknowledge the issue, they and Beth Graham can't be trusted with the province of Ontario.

Pam Taylor on "Change"

PC leader Tim Hudak announced that 2007 candidate Pam Taylor will indeed be running for the PC's in the Toronto Centre by-election. In her candidate statement, Pam Taylor says she wants to bring "real change" to Toronto Centre. However, the only thing that Pam Taylor and the PC's offer in terms of "change" for Toronto Centre is her flop-flopping on social positions and running for an Ontario PC Party that wants to move Toronto Centre and Ontario backwards.

Let's review:

In 2007, Pam Taylor said "This party has absolutely nothing to do with [former Conservative premier] Mike Harris," she insists. "I would not have been knocking on doors for Mike Harris."

In 2010, Pam Taylor is running for a PC Party lead by the Mike Harris endorsed Tim Hudak, who proudly sat in the Harris cabinet when our schools were being shut down and our water was being polluted.

In 2007, Pam Taylor said Part of our strategy now is to be inclusive."

In 2010, Pam Taylor is now running for the Mike Harris 2.0 Tim Hudak PC's, who want to disband the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal and put the rights of vulnerable citizens at risk. Tim Hudak voted for Bill 91 in 1996, which would have greatly interfered with a woman's right to choose.

In 2007, Pam Taylor said in regards to protecting GLBTQ youth schools should educate students about queer realities.

"We need education within education," she says. "Most of the behaviour we see that we find regrettable comes from ignorance. We need to have part of curriculum be a place to talk about these issues.

In 2010, Pam Taylor is running for the Tim Hudak PC's, when Tim Hudak was part of the Harris government that attacked our public schools and brought education in this province to the brink. Tim Hudak was a loud supporter of faith-based funding for private schools.

In 2007, Pam Taylor had this to say about trans rights: "I would like to see the addition of language to the Human Rights Code to protect the trans group," she says. "As for surgery, everything I have heard suggests it should be supported. The party hasn't taken a stand but in terms of relisting the cost of each surgery may be high but the numbers are low. You can't listen to the stories and not feel compassion. There was something inherently unfair about the delisting....We will need better long-term care, better drug plans. The trans population may need separate facilities."
"

In 2010, Pam Taylor is running for the Tim Hudak PC's, when Tim Hudak was part of the PC government that de-listed surgery. Tim Hudak is not only against adding trans rights to the Human Rights Code, he wants to abolish the Human Rights Tribunal.

In 2007, Pam Taylor said "We don't play favourites...The hallmark is compassion and inclusiveness"

In 2010, Pam Taylor is running for Tim Hudak, who was endorsed by Randy Hillier for leader. Hillier called the openly gay former MPP for Toronto Centre, George Smitherman, the anti-gay slur "bugger" during a debate. In Randy Hillier's and Tim Hudak's Ontario, public funded health care professionals would be able to reject providing public health services to the citizens of Ontario based on their own moral prejudice, and have tax-payer funded marriage commissioners to refuse services to same sex couples, a slap in the face to established equal marriage law. Hillier's leadership bid was managed by social conservative activist Tristan Emmanuel, who is in favour of the death penalty for eleven-year olds, organized a Canadians who Bush rally, which Tim Hudak attended, described gay men as "sexual deviants", and homosexuality as "the wrong choice, a bad choice", described Islam as being "as far from peace, as hell is from heaven". Hillier's reward for his 18th century views? Being named the PC Labour critic, giving him a platform to vent his homophobic views.

When Tim Hudak and Pam Taylor talk about "change" for Toronto Centre, what do they really mean?

How will Pam Taylor answer to...Pam Taylor?

Word is out that 2007 Tory candidate Pam Taylor is looking to run again for the PC's in Toronto Centre. Assuming no other candidate comes forward, this would be the second time the Hudak PC's have thrown a socially liberal female candidate into the mix in a Toronto riding, following Sue-Ann Levy's angry but unsuccessful campaign in St. Paul's.

Taylor is firmly on the Red Tory side of the party, being a close ally of John Tory and playing an active role in Christine Elliott's leadership bid. In fact, she was so critical of Blue Tories and the Harris Tories that she told Xtra.ca during her 2007 Toronto Centre bid that;

http://www.xtra.ca/public/Toronto/Toronto_Centre_candidates_on_the_stump-3681.aspx

"This party has absolutely nothing to do with [former Conservative premier] Mike Harris," she insists."

Really? Mike Harris must be pretty terrible, I doubt she would run for a PC Party that took inspiration from him...

http://www.thestar.com/news/ontario/article/640343
"Ex-premier says Hudak has 'common sense' needed to lead province"

Oh wait. I think this Youtube video says it well: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9tvBfcoLjU

But thats not all Taylor said, not only did she consider the John Tory PC's much better than the Harris PC's, she said;

"I would not have been knocking on doors for Mike Harris. Part of our strategy now is to be inclusive. We don't play favourites, we don't fund things for political gain. The hallmark is compassion and inclusiveness."

So she won't knock on doors for the Harris Tories, but she plans to door knock for Tim Hudak, who has openly emulated Mike Harris at every turn, including a shining endorsement from the man himself?

She says part of her strategy is compassion and inclusiveness, but Tim Hudak wants to disband the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal, was a loud supporter of faith-based funding, which would have set Ontario schools and multiculturalism back a generation. Tim Hudak voted for Bill 91 back in 1996, which would have greatly interfered with a woman's right to choose. Tim Hudak backed the Harris government de-listing from provincial health coverage sex reassignment surgery (which was disguised as being a tax-saving measure, but only saved mere cents from each citizens tax load).

On the last point, in 2007, Taylor had this to say:

"I would like to see the addition of language to the Human Rights Code to protect the trans group," she says. "As for surgery, everything I have heard suggests it should be supported. The party hasn't taken a stand but in terms of relisting the cost of each surgery may be high but the numbers are low. You can't listen to the stories and not feel compassion. There was something inherently unfair about the delisting."

The 2007 Pam Taylor was against moves to attack the status of human rights in this province, and was regretful of the de-listing made by the Harris Conservatives. The 2009 Pam Taylor evidently is going to cheerlead for her leader Tim Hudak to abolish the Human Rights Tribunal and use queer rights and activism as a fear-mongering tool to throw red meat to the Hillier/Klees social conservative wing of the party.

And thats not all.

Taylor says schools should educate students about queer realities.

"We need education within education," she says. "Most of the behaviour we see that we find regrettable comes from ignorance. We need to have part of curriculum be a place to talk about these issues. Supporting Our Youth will actually provide resources in doing that kind of work."


When it comes to queer seniors Taylor says the Conservatives would pay attention to their needs.

"I think we should be guided by what they tell us we need," she says. "One of the hallmarks of a John Tory government is listening. I've come and spent a lot of time at Church and Wellesley listening to people. We will need better long-term care, better drug plans. The trans population may need separate facilities."

The 2007 Taylor stood for gay rights. The 2009 Taylor seems to think the PC's should be setting an example by having the PC labour critic be Randy Hillier, who called Toronto Centre's previous MPP, the openly gay George Smitherman, a "bugger" during a debate at Queen's Park, and as Matt Guerin pointed out, has a long history of opposing queer rights:

http://queer-liberal.blogspot.com/2009/03/randy-hillier-stokes-anti-gay.html

It is of course relevant to point out, that in addition to Mike Harris, Tim Hudak was also endorsed by Randy Hillier.

The people of Toronto Centre deserve better than the socially regressive policies of Tim Hudak and the flip-flopping of Pam Taylor.

PC predictions, looks like Hudak has it

Elliott is done like dishwater. She had to finish ahead of Klees to have a hope of leap-frogging Hudak, and now the only way she could prevent being bumped off the next ballot would be to get the bulk of Randy Hillier's second place votes, which given that they are at opposite ends of the PC spectrum, and Hillier's vocal endorsement of Hudak, is simply not going to happen.

Let's say that Hillier's support breaks down into something like 70-20-10 for Hudak/Klees/Elliott, that leaves a second ballot looking something like this:

Tim Hudak 4226-40.8%
Frank Klees 3294-31.8%
Christine Elliott 2829-27.3%

This now puts Elliott's near 3000 votes in play. Perez Hudak is reporting that Elliott sources are saying that their own supporters lean Hudak, which would give Hudak the victory no question. However, given the mutual antipathy between the Elliott and Hudak campaigns, particularly over the the last couple of weeks, I can see this being spin. Let's assume the whole Klees/Elliott axis (interesting how it ended up Klees/Elliott, and not the predicted Elliott/Klees) is somewhat existent, and lets split her vote 60-40 to Klees.


Tim Hudak- 5360 -51.7%
Frank Klees- 4990-48.2%

As we can see, a very close race, and Elliott's support will be crucial. If Klees wants to win, he will need the Elliott vote split to be more like 70-30, which would give us this:

Frank Klees- 5274-50.9%
Tim Hudak- 5075-49%

Klees getting 70% of the Elliott vote might be wishful thinking, and as the number show, he would still barely squeak out a victory. What this means is that the people calling Randy Hillier the "kingmaker" would seem to be correct if these predictions come true, as Hillier's support going overwhelmingly to Hudak would give Hudak the space he needs to survive all but a tsunami of Elliott support going to Klees.

Oh, and just for the sake of having my prediction in if what Perez Hudak is reporting is correct, here are the last ballot results if Elliott support breaks in the direction of Hudak to the tune of say, 55-45.

Tim Hudak-5782 -55.8%
Frank Klees-4567 - 44.2%

Let's see how things work out.

Tory first ballot results in

Hudak: 3511 Klees: 3093 Elliott: 2728 Hillier: 1013

Riding by riding winners here: http://www.unitedandstrong.ca/2009/06/27/first-ballot-results/

Suprisingly strong showing by Klees. Hillier only wins 3 ridings, and has endorsed Hudak. Looks like the prediction of the Hudak/Hillier axis vs. the Klees/Elliott axis is coming true.

Randy Hillier and the Ontario PC's: Only white, rural, anglophones hetrosexual males are allowed to be victims!

My entry for the YLC Positive Politics competition: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MevlKbbGzdM
_______________________________________________

I've talked previously about the stance of several PC leadership contenders who are seemingly more interested in dividing Ontario than delivering ideas about how to move the economy forward, and Randy Hillier continues the trend:

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/News/Hillier+fumes+over+aboriginal+protests/1622577/story.html
The overtness of Hillier's message, coming from a man who has not hesitated to use civil disobedience in the past, and who has been arrested, to criticize First Nations protesters for using similar tactics, is stunning that he is rapidly becoming a power player in a mainstream political party in 2009. Given Hillier's other positions on anyone who isn't a white, rural, heterosexual male anglophone are already well known, it will be very interesting to see what kind of deal the eventual PC winner strikes with Hillier for either his support on the balloting, or to acknowledge his position as a power-broker within the party.

Some other Hillier hits, soon to possibly become Ontario PC policy?

http://www.nationalpost.com/related/topics/story.html?id=1445862
Working towards eliminating French in Ontario.

http://www.nationalpost.com/related/topics/story.html?id=1570343
Legalizing discrimination.

http://www.nationalpost.com/related/topics/story.html?id=1597864
Infringing on the personal rights of consenting adults.

Amongst others. Randy Hillier and the Ontario PC's are in a race to see which candidate can promise the most regressive and divisive policy.

The fall of Tim Hudak?

My entry for the YLC Positive Politics Challenge: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MevlKbbGzdM
___________________________________________________________________

New developments in the PC leadership race:

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/636650
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090520.wonttory20art2212/BNStory/politics/home
http://www.intelligencer.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1571026
http://www.torontosun.com/news/canada/2009/05/15/9464831-sun.html
http://www.stephentaylor.ca/2009/05/ontario-pc-membership-numbers/

The Cliff Notes version, for those too lazy to read all those:

-Hudak, despite having the most establishment support, as well as presumably the most support amongst pre-existing members, has not signed up nearly as many new members as people have expected.
-Christine Elliott has outfundraised Hudak 10-1, and has been successful in signing up new members.
-Frank Klees has signed up many new members (perhaps the most of any candidate) and looks like he will perform far better than many expected. Apparently has been making good in-roads in ethnic communities, a group which Hudak needed to go after, particularly considering his endorsement by Jason Kenney.
-Randy Hillier has a very hard-core group of support, and thus has not done terribly in fundraising, but his membership sales lag far behind, really only making progress in rural Eastern Ontario, which is his home-base anyway.
-The messages coming out of the Elliott and Klees campaigns are that Hudak has lost his front runner status, and the membership and fundraising numbers would seem to suggest Hudak has less of a lock on the race than previously indicated.
-Klees' performance in signing up new members has been the surprise of the campaign, and given rumours that he would back Elliott over Hudak, could be a game-changer when it comes time to cast ballots.
-Strong regionalization in membership sales: Hudak is strongest in Southeastern Ontario, Elliott and Klees in the GTA, and the Hillier in Eastern Ontario.
-Hudak's percieved lack of policy is starting to hurt him.

Also, check out my new Youtube attack ad spoof video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNZ0aIeBczI&feature=channel