British Columbia NDP leadership candidate Harry Lali says he'll take his own party to court over memberships if it fails to apply its own rules.
"I think there's a basic principal that when you put out a set of rules to follow, you expect every candidate's teams to follow those rules," he said. "As far as I know five campaigns followed those rules down to a T, and one didn't."
Lali singled out Vancouver-Kingsway MLA Adrian Dix's campaign for bringing in membership forms that should be rejected.
The party's rules say that money for a membership is supposed to be attached to each individual form, he said. "In this case you had memberships coming in separately and other people were bringing in bags of money and envelopes full of money."
The people, who Lali said were visibly South Asians and Filipinos, brought the money and forms into the party's Burnaby office a half an hour before the deadline for signing up members who would be eligible to vote for a new leader on April 17. "I was there and I witnessed it along with about a dozen people from other campaigns," he said.
Lali said that in his letter he told the party he will take whatever public or legal action is necessary to make sure the rules are fairly applied. "Every candidate's got to be held to the same test and to the same set of rules," he said. "You can't bend or change the rules for another candidate, otherwise why have rules in the first place?"
Mike Farnworth's campaign has also reportedly complained to the party.
Dix said he believed people working on his campaign followed the rules. "My understanding is they did, same as everyone else," he told reporters outside an NDP caucus meeting at the legislature.
"The rules are going to be applied fairly, they're going to be applied to everyone," he said, noting that many people pay cash for memberships and that the rush on memberships was a sign people are excieted about the leadership race.
The provincial office will assess which memberships are legitimate, said Dix. He said he had "no idea" how many members his team had signed up and stressed that his own job is to campaign about issues and meet members.
"I think it's something that's happened in many different political parties," said New Westminster MLA Dawn Black, who caucus members chose as interim NDP leader this morning. "I think the provincial party will deal with that in accordance with the rules of a nomination."
Update: At 5 p.m. on Jan. 19, the NDP put out a statement saying the disputed applications would be processed. “The BC NDP has always worked to involve interested British Columbian in our party,” the release quoted Jan O’Brien, BC NDP Provincial Secretary, saying. “We will not disenfranchise people who are interested in being a part of our party.”
Andrew MacLeod is The Tyee’s Legislative Bureau Chief in Victoria. Reach him here.
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freebear
1 year ago
Sigh, so much to look forward too!
And they all (both sides of the house)accepted raises eh for being such bright lights!
NotaLIEberal
1 year ago
Would U Like Some Cheese With Your WHINE Harry?
The only thing Harry is qualified to lead is a processional in whining...
It's evident that the real problem here is that Harry can't seem to get his own people to endorse him. Isn't that so?
Grow a pair or get out of politics!
Dan the socialist
1 year ago
The NDP in BC are sure their
The NDP in BC are sure their own worst enemy..
motorcycleguy
1 year ago
Decisive action
Better be a quick ruling on this, tomorrow morning latest....and Moe better not be involved with the announcement of the decision.
Frank
1 year ago
Oh the irony
"Harry Lali says he'll take his own party to court over memberships if it fails to apply its own rules."
The word "hypocritical" comes to mind too. Guess it all depends on whose ox is being gored. This time its Harry's and suddenly he's all about the rules.
DSchreck
1 year ago
Lali
Harry should read section 16.08 of NDP constitution before he gets himself kicked out of the party.
16.08 It is a breach of the principles and policies of the New Democratic Party for any member to seek redress for any complaint against another member or body of the Party through public notice or solicitation, or legal redress without first exhausting the procedures outlined in this Article, and following the directions of the Provincial Council in their final decision.
Bospade
1 year ago
enough already
If these memberships are allowed to stand I - an active member of the NDP since Dave Barrett was premier - will resign my party membership and work actively against both the NDP and the Liberals. Mr. Dix is the man who thought nothing of creating false documents to back up his clown of a boss Glen Clark. Dix has the support of the party fat cats who have enriched themselves with obsence salaries, golden pensions and rich buy-outs when they left government jobs. These fat cats remind me of French upper class socialists who have no use for the working poor or the non-working underclass. Carol James was bad enough but Dix ... give me a break - just another limousine socialist.
Cool Hand
1 year ago
There's Something About Mary (I Mean Harry)
Several news outlets reported that right after Harry made his leadership announcement in Merritt, good ol' Harry darted directly for the coast - more particularly Surrey - more particularly the Sikh temples.
Why? Attempt to sign up as many new members from the Indo-Canadian community as possible.
Looks like Harry got skunked. Adrian cleaned up in the Sikh community.
Atta boy Harry!
DSchreck
1 year ago
Bospade
Bospade's post could be taken more seriously if it weren't posted anonymously. It would be worthwhile to read the four page decisision handed down by the party's provincial secretary. See http://www.bcndp.ca/newsroom/all-memberships-be-processed
brg61
1 year ago
New Rules....
....allowing all party members to vote in leadership contests opens the door to "instant" sign ups of new members. This isn't new; all parties have internal disputes over this practice.
New members are good for the NDP. I have questions about how the Dix campaign has handled the fees in this case.
Skywalker
1 year ago
The only time it is about new memberships..
...is when they need your money. Once they got that then, you can shut the #@%& up cause we the elite are running the show. Rules? What rules?
falcon53
1 year ago
Is this Dirty Money?
How do we have any way of knowing that these memberships are not being paid for by organized crime? Or Drug Lords?
This looks totally corrupt and I suspect it IS totally corrupt.
I think if these memberships are allowed, this will cast a big dark cloud over Adrian Dix if he is elected leader.
Ricky
1 year ago
Ugh
Cool Hand pointing out the obvious, what times, what times.
I propose that any element within the NDP that is against new memberships is against the NDP winning. The NDP's number one crisis is membership, which directly impacts the ability of the party running an effective campaign. It's not just the money... it's feet on the ground and committed voters convincing others in their circle to vote.
Now that Carole is no longer leader, memberships should be number one, number one, number one. Idiots like Lali think that there are other ways to win for the NDP - there are not!
motorcycleguy
1 year ago
re Decisive action
Well, a quick ruling was made...that's good. Moe's name didn't come up.....that's good. Reading the link from DShreck to the 4 page ruling made sense...that's good. As long as they were in the building by 5:00pm it would be reasonable to allow some organizing of paperwork in the following days. No problem there either. One would wonder what all the hooplah was about. If all the money in all the bags equals to the penny the total of all the written amounts on all the membership forms, with no more and no less, and the follow up spot checks are done with due diligence....then I can change, if I have to, I guess....how I think the rest of the BC voters will perceive this...bags(brown paper or otherwise) of money and BC politicians that is.
teambates
1 year ago
Why are these men fighting over who can join the NDP?
It's because of the ludicrous early deadline.
I'm a lapsed member who would have got around to it if I wasn't broke or out of town until exactly the 17th. Dix announced his membership, what, the day of the deadline? It's ridiculous, but maybe I'm better served to stay out of it.
pianosaurus rex
1 year ago
bickering not fighting
I continue to be entertained by politicians on both sides of the political spectrum in BC exposing themselves for the juvenile, petulant freaks of nature that they all really are.
Van Isle
1 year ago
At this point of time it
At this point of time it ain't entertainment anymore Pianosaurus Rex, it's a sorry and pitiful display of stupidity by both the Liberals and NDP candidates.
Luck
1 year ago
CARNIVAL SHOW
WILL SOMEBODY IN THE NDP PARTY PLEASE GET A HANDLE ON WHAT YOU ARE THERE FOR.
THIS CARNIVAL ACT IS LIKE WATCHING A CHEAP SOAP OPERA. IT AINT EVEN COMEDY.
EITHER FIX THE PROBLEM INTERIM LEADER OR TAKE YOUR TENT DOWN AND GO HOME.
WHERE IS THE NEW THIRD POLITICAL PARTY WE HAVE BEEN HEARING ABOUT. DON'T SAY YOU CAN'T AGREE ON ANYTHING AND HAVE BEEN PUT ON HOLD.
SOUNDS LIKE WE NEED A PROVINCIAL COALITION GOVERNMENTS THAT ARE ELECTED BY THE CITIZENS OF BC.
I THINK THIS MAKES MORE SENSE THAN WHAT WE ARE SEEING FROM SOME OF THESE IDIOTS MASQUERADING AS MLA'S.
pianosaurus rex
1 year ago
agreed Van Isle
Exactly my point Van Isle, I always love the irony in any situation. I would agree with your comments; it is a pitiful display from the tallest children in the political spectrum. There is no political party that has a monopoly on this display of immaturity.
And British Columbians and other Canadians continue to gaze in wonderment as to why our political structure does not serve them well…. But also steadfastly refuse to have a conversation regarding change of political structure.
When we, as voters in British Columbia, or this entire country, are collectively serious about change, then, and only then, will our lives improve. Changing our political system of voting has to come from us; waiting for change to come from outside of us is to admit failure to act.
We get the government we bloody well deserve.
dave0ferg
1 year ago
Rules
Rules, as useful as well thought out rules can be most of the time, are no excuse for doing dumb things nor an excuse for not doing the right thing. The NDP seems to go overboard on rules and regulations while the Liberals have too few of both.
Of course the last place you want to be is in the middle of the road when the kids are having a demolition derby.
offended
1 year ago
It's a media story
generated by Harry Lali's comments. Unfortunately for Harry, his comments do not jive with what the party has released in the document on its website. (Link upthread in comment by DSchreck.)
Specifically:
"Most of the remaining membership forms brought to the Provincial Office on January 17 were bundled into groups of 20 with the money remitted by the members attached to the front of the bundles. Some had canvasser submission forms. When they did not, Provincial Office staff asked the canvasser to fill in submission forms and attach them. This is in fact the standard way that the submission of more than 10 membership forms by a single canvasser takes place at Provincial Office.
Some canvassers arrived at the Provincial Office on January 17 without their forms bundled and without the applicants’ fees attached to the forms. Some arrived with only cheques attached to the membership forms. Provincial Office staff advised the canvassers to bundle the forms into groups of 20, attach the fees remitted by the members to the front of the bundles, and to fill in and attach a canvasser submission form. The volunteer nature of membership sign up means that Provincial Office staff frequently work with canvassers in this way. "
Harry didn't sign up a lot of members. Now he's just whining, IMHO.
And for why, I do not know. I renewed my membership (had volunteers, not for any particular candidate, come to my house) and
at no time was I asked to support anyone by them or on the form.
I can vote for whoever I want to.
kevparr
1 year ago
Leadership race
Marshal Farnsworth and Dirty Harry jumped the gun on the leadership race as the membership party and deadline was closing at high noon. Marshal and Harry got a few pot shots off first,because Adrian had long Dixed them on member sign up numbers and had a sh-- eating grin on his face.Mean while a new federal marshal had been appointed and it was looking like it might be a Black day in January for all concerned.No harm done,the boys will probably have their guns taken away until the official race begins.On the positive side alot of new memberships were sined up!
leftofcentre
1 year ago
Dix sounds fishy...
Showing up at the last second with a bunch of voter forms and a bag full of money?
Sounds like voter fraud to me...