Deadmen Tell No Tales; Mike and Joe

[MrPrax]

Vote scandal hits Ignatieff

OTTAWA - A complaint has been filed with the Liberal party about 60 members allegedly signed up improperly by frontrunner Michael Ignatieff's camp in two Toronto-area ridings, including one man in Ignatieff's constituency said to have died two years ago.

The complaint, filed Monday with the Ontario wing of the party, comes on the heels allegations that candidate Joe Volpe’s team improperly signed up scores of members in Montreal.

TorStar

Wanted: Instant Liberals, dead or alive
Many surprised Montrealers get cards, probe finds
Volpe campaign named as paying for 9 memberships

LINDA DIEBEL AND JOANNA SMITH
STAFF REPORTERS

Dozens of people in Montreal, including the dead, have been improperly signed up as federal Liberal party members.

A Toronto Star investigation has found unsuspecting Quebecers — some surprised to find out they were instant Liberals — were sent membership cards and letters urging them to vote next weekend at all-important meetings to elect delegates to the Liberal convention to choose a new leader.

Using membership lists from the Quebec wing of the federal Liberal party, the Star talked to more than 70 families who reported significant problems in their own case, or in that of other family members. Most often, they hadn't paid the membership fee which party rules stipulate must be paid by the actual member.

TorStar
link to the Volpy story

And while we are on the subject: (if tuvor or chimo want to make it a separate post, then no insult taken -- it should be, I suppose...but since it is all from the same paper...competing to be Canada's ONLY newspaper worth a loon...I figure I would roll out the Monday section in this post)

New Liberal Leadership Poll:

Rae poised to be top Liberal

Bob Rae has emerged as the leading candidate in the Liberal leadership race, according to a poll of party members in Ontario and Quebec released today by the Toronto Star and La Presse.

According to the poll, conducted by EKOS Research, MP Michael Ignatieff (Etobicoke-Lakeshore) is in a dead heat with Rae among rank-and-file Liberals as first choice for leader in the two provinces, expected to have more than half the delegates to the leadership convention in Montreal at the end of November.

...

"After the frontrunners — behind but not out of sight — are three dark-horse candidates, who still have reason to hope they could find a way to win," he said.

They are: former federal cabinet minister Stéphane Dion; Gerard Kennedy, who resigned as Ontario education minister earlier this year; and former federal minister and hockey great Ken Dryden, from York Centre.

(can't resist this part about Fry who has just quit)

Graves noted that the bottom four candidates — Brison, Eglinton-Lawrence MP Joe Volpe, Toronto lawyer Martha Hall Findlay and Vancouver MP Hedy Fry — received only 6 per cent support as the first, second or third choice of respondents.

"(They) cannot be considered contenders," he said, adding the bottom four appeared to have little chance of having "any real impact" on the outcome of the vote.

Not a single respondent chose Fry.

"There were over 3,000 opportunities for people to pick her (as first, second or third choice)," said Graves. "She literally got zero. I have never seen that in over 20 years of polling."

:rofl:

TorStar


Potential Liberal Leadership Theme Song:

Its all the same, only the names will change
Everyday it seems were wasting away
Another place where the faces are so cold
Id drive all night just to get back home

Bon Jovi's "Wanted Dead or Alive"