A recent poll indicated Canadian voters
are opposed to Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau's conditions for his
candidates to be pro choice. The poll was 70% against Justin and 30%
in favour regarding this matter. I understand the question was “Does
Justin Trudeau have the right to impose this condition?”
Regardless of how you feel about the
issue the Liberal Leader has the right to impose this condition.
Many will recall that former Premier Grant Devine was denied the
right to run for the nomination as a federal Conservative candidate
by the Harper conservatives. He ended up running as an independent
and lost. Many will also recall Grant Schmidt, a former cabinet
minister in the Grant Devine Government, ran and won the nomination against
a sitting SaskParty MLA. The Brad Wall SaskParty overturned the
democratic process and denied Grant Schmidt as a democratically
nominated candidate in favour of Bob Bejornerud, who went on to
reclaim his constituency at the next provincial election.
It is apparent the leadership of
political parties have the right to do whatever suits them when it
comes to selecting whom they want to run for them in any upcoming
election. The people in local constituency associations should
decide whom they want representing them free of conditions imposed by the heavy hand of party brass.