Liberals in GPR call for open nomination after ex-PC MPP joins party
Liberals in Glengarry–Prescott–Russell want their riding to have an open nomination contest ahead of the next provincial election after former Progressive Conservative MPP Amanda Simard switched allegiances last week.
Simard, who had been sitting as an independent after leaving the PC caucus over their French-language policies, joined the party Thursday.
On Saturday, the Glengarry–Prescott–Russell Provincial Liberal Association held an emergency meeting and called for would-be party leaders to commit to the open nomination.
The request came after interim leader John Fraser was asked by reporters whether Simard would automatically be the party's candidate in 2022.
He said under the party's rules, incumbents don't normally to go through a nomination process.
"You're asking us a question that's two years from now. And what's really at the core here is for Amanda to work and build up the association," said Fraser.
'Elect a proper member'
"When we read in the paper that she would be the official candidate for the ... 2022 election, the association [rejected] that. They said, 'We want a regular nomination,'" said Jean-Marc Lalonde, spokesperson for the association and the riding's former MPP.
Lalonde said the riding association has sent a letter to all leadership candidates, urging them to implement an open nomination process in Glengarry–Prescott–Russell.
The party is holding its leadership convention in March.
"Everybody wants to make sure that we ... elect a proper member for the next election," said Lalonde.
'Part of the democratic process'
Marie-Noëlle Lanthier, president of Leadership Féminin Prescott-Russell, a group that supports women in leadership and politics, believes the association's request is fair.
Simard would "certainly" be welcome to participate in the nomination process, she said.
"It is an important part of the democratic process, for people locally to decide who their representative will be," Lanthier said.
"And it's not up to the folks who are higher up in the party to make that decision, to have a handful of people making that decision for local people."
Both Lalonde and Lanthier both said the local candidate in 2018 was basically appointed by the party leadership.
"When you get a nomination evening, everybody gets involved," said Lalonde. "And in this case it did not happen, so after 37 years of [having a] Liberal member in Glengarry–Prescott–Russell, we lost the election because of this procedure."
CBC News reached out to Simard over the weekend, but did not receive a response.
The association will meet Feb. 9 in St. Isidore, Ont,. to choose the delegates who will then vote on the party's new leader in March.
