MORE NDP STUFF-THE PLOT THICKENS

Underbelly News
Downtown Eastside

MORE NDP STUFF-THE PLOT THICKENS

Hi All!

Below are more internal NDP emails circulating. Mmmmmmmmm
JL

Sent: Friday, December 03, 2004 9:37 PM
Subject: Fw: Response to Kingsway letter

As requested by Earl Shaw, I am passing on his reply to President Fox's letter. Mr. Fox's letter (towards the end of this
e-mail) defends the provincial executive's decision to take over the committees that will handle credentials and ballotting at the December 5 Vancouver-Kingsway nomination meeting.

Andrew Adler
Vancouver-Kingsway Membership Secretary



----- Original Message ----- From: "Lavina Shaw" lshaw@telus.net To: "Nikki Hill" Sent: Friday, December 03, 2004 3:14 PM Subject: Re: Response to Kingsway letter Would you kindly circulate this memo to the Constituency President, Provincial Council Delegates, Provincial Executive and staff who received this email regarding the Vancouver Kingsway Nominating Committee. As a non-resident member of the Vancouver Kingsway Riding Executive, who attended the meetings of the Rules and Procedures Committee, I wish to go on the record to state unequivocally that the statements contained in Paragraph 2 of Mr. Fox's letter are not in accordance with the facts and that the actions taken are a violation of the constitution of the party. (1) The complaints of bias were not properly addressed in accordance with Article 9 Clause 7. (2) Article 9 Clause 7 gives the Provincial Executive the power to make final judgment on specific complaints that were not resolved by the Riding Executive. It has not authority to appoint an investigator to determine that there was a bias in the decisions of the Rules and Procedures Committee other than those referred to it for resolution. (3) In resolving specific complaints, it has no authority to overrule Article 9 Paragraph 1 of the constitution. To have that power, Article 9, Clause 7 would state "notwithstanding Article 9 Paragraph 1 of the constitution, etc....." The appointment of Balloting and Credentials Committee by the Provincial Executive is a flagrant violation of the constitution which could never be withheld in a court of law. It is time the party stopped giving lipservice to democracy and started practising it.
I believe all four candidates for the nomination are a credit to the party and capable of being a strong NDP voice in the next parliament. It is too bad their nomination process has become a matter of dirty politics.

Earl J. Shaw ----- Original Message ----- From: "Nikki Hill" <NikkiH@bc.ndp.ca> Sent: Friday, December 03, 2004 11:43 AM Subject: Response to Kingsway letter>> > Friends,> > President Jeff Fox asked that I circulate this you in response to the> Vancouver Kingsway letter that you may have received.> > circulated via:> > Gerry Scott> Provincial Secretary> BC NDP> http://www.bc.ndp.ca> > >> To: Constituency Presidents> Provincial Council Delegates> Provincial Executive> Staff> > cc: Vancouver Kingsway members> > From: Jeff Fox, Provincial President>> Some of you may have received a letter from three members of the> Vancouver Kingsway Association, outlining their concerns with the Provincial> Executive's decision regarding a complaint from two candidates seeking> nomination in Kingsway. On behalf of the Provincial Executive, I want to> briefly explain the Executive decision and assure you that the> membership issues raised in the letter are being addressed to the fullest extent> possible.> > The Executive appointed Ballotting and Credentials committees after the> ocal association refused the suggestion of an independent "co-chair" and> after the Executive accepted the findings of an investigation by a Vice> President,Craig Keating, that there were grounds for a significant> perception of bias in the process. This action was taken under section 9.07> of the Constituion, which outlines the procedures for complaints on the> conduct of nomination meetings. Subsequent to the appointment of the two> committees by the Provincial Executive, the Kingsway officials were invited> to participate in these two appointed committees but declined, as did one> candidate for nomination.> > The letter from the three individuals also deals with their belief that the> provincial party has not followed up on concerns raised regarding the> voting eligibility of some members. This is not the case. For example, the> 'transfer-in' members are clearly marked on all lists as ineligible to vote> in the nomination meeting as per the Constitution and yet Mr. Adler> lists some of those as problematic. I can assure you that the staff at the> Provincial Office have been doing their very best to address concerns> about any and all specific membership and/or eligibility issues and that> process will continue until registration closes. In fact, we have sought more> specific information from Mr. Adler and are still awaiting that to allow> more analysis on those names if we get them from him.> > The fears raised in this letter about inadequate identification requirements> are not grounded in reality and I can assure all members that> the credentials process will be properly handled, hopefully with the support> of Kingsway activists as well as independent volunteers and staff.> > In closing I want to again state that the Provincial Executive acted to> prevent any perceptions of bias that might have undermined the integrity of> the nomination process and attempted to do so in a way that shared that> responsibility with Kingsway executive members. That attempt was> unsuccessful unfortunately but the need to have a smooth meeting was> paramount and the two independent committees will assist singificantly in> that regard.>> Yours Truly>> Jeff Fox> President NDP of BC>

UNION LEADERS and POLITICAL MISFITS

Underbelly News
Downtown Eastside

UNION LEADERS and POLITICAL MISFITS

Hi All!

I had forwarded to me a number of emails with regards to the upcoming NDP Van-Kingsway riding nomination meeting (Glen Clark's old constituency). I have posted one below. It appears the NDP president, Jeff Fox (a Union heavyweight) has at the behest of former Clark aide, Adrian Dix and others, stolen from a democratically elected constituency association, their abilitity to run the nomination meeting scheduled for this Sunday December 5, 2004. Is it any wonder people get tired of Union Leaders and Political Misfits corrupting democratic parties?

Just an aside, my late mother Alice Hamilton was awarded honourary life membership in the NDP by than NDP Premier Mike Harcourt. It is the highest honour given to a member. All I can say is my mother would be ashamed at what amounts to the corruption of her beloved party.

Jamie Lee



From:

To: Undisclosed-Recipient:;
Sent: Friday, December 03, 2004 4:36 PM
Subject: Prov Exec tries to justify take-over of Kingsway's nomination meeting
To Provincial Council Delegates / Constituency Presidents / Provincial Executive / NDP Members / Staff
It is with puzzlement that we read Mr. Fox's reply.

First, we are disconcerted with his inability to recognize that the letter was not sent by "three individuals" but by the president, vice-president, and membership secretary of the Vancouver Kingsway NDP constituency association on behalf of the executive.

Second, his statement that our local association "refused the suggestion of an independent co-chair" is simply not correct. Our executive never received or discussed such a proposal. There was an informal mention by Mr. Keating in a phone conversation with our president Arlene Schimmelpfennig that the provincial executive might suggest a neutral co-chair for the ballotting committee. The offer was never made. The conversation happened after the provincial executive decided to take over the credentials and ballotting committees. There was no mention of the credentials committee.

Third, Mr. Fox's notes on the conclusions Mr. Keating drew about the complaint launched by candidates Dix and Parmar against the local executive are different from ours. We had two people attend the one meeting where the matter was heard and decided on, and both reported back Mr. Keating's findings as there being no evidence for the complaints.

Fourth, Mr. Fox writes that what brought about the provincial executive take-over of the credentials and ballotting committees is not actual bias but a perception of bias. According to our notes, Keating's "reasonable perception of bias" was reported to exist only with regards to the ballotting committee. Why is it now being applied to both committees?
Fifth, we have yet to hear or read about any evidence (or reasoning) to substantiate this perception of bias. We request that this be made clear to us. In addition, we would like to have explained what arguments or reasons the provincial executive has for considering itself or provincial office staff as parties that are unlikely to create a reasonable perception of bias.

Sixth, to read section 9.07 of the constitution as granting provincial executive the power to take over the running of nomination meetings is simply wrong. Section 9.07 simply states a procedure for dealing with complaints about the way in which a constituency conducts its nomination procedures: go to local executive first and to provincial executive next if need be. The provincial executive is supposed to help solve specific complaints, not unsubstantiated perceptions, and one would have hoped that more than 15 minutes would be spent with a local executive before summarily taking over the most important aspects of a nomination meeting.

Seventh, Mr. Fox asserts that the provincial executive is efficiently dealing with our membership secretary's concern about irregularities in the recruiting of members 16 of them living in one house, obvious duplications, people living in different houses but sharing the same phone, etc. His assertion, however, is not accompanied by any evidence that this is actually happening. Two weeks have passed since our complaint and we have had zero response.

Eighth, in a document recently received from provincial office, Ms Angela Schira appears as a "transfer-in" member. This executive has not approved Ms Schira's transfer. We would like to remind provincial executive that it is the prerogative of the local association to accept transfers and we are the association's executive. Ms Schira is not a transfer member of this constituency.

In summary, provincial executive has taken over Vancouver-Kingsway's nomination meeting due to an unexplained "reasonable perception of bias" and without any effort to reach an agreement with the riding. After four years of arduous successful work to build the riding, we feel particulary hurt by the treatment we, as an executive, are receiving from Mr. Fox and the provincial executive. Furthermore, we fear for the future of constituency autonomy so traditionally characteristic of the NDP.

Sincerely,
on behalf of the Vancouver-Kingsway executive

Arlene Schimmelpfennig, constituency president, 219-9249
Isabel Lopez, vice-president, 324-4484
Andrew Adler, membership secretary, 224-1249