-Liberals say only few have dropped memberships-
OSOYOOS TIMES-April 8, 2009-
By Karen KnelsenrnOsoyoos Times
Joe Cardoso, the B.C. Conservative Party's candidate for the Boundary-Similkameen riding, is claiming that high numbers of local Liberal Party members are jumping ship to back him in the upcoming provincial election.
Over 100 people have come to me and said 'We'd like to turn in our memberships and get our money back,' Cardoso said.
Last November, Cardoso, an Oliver resident, was nominated by Liberal Party members to be their candidate for this riding.
But his candidacy was terminated in February when it came to light that he'd sent a letter to the editor to the Osoyoos Times and the Oliver Chronicle in 2005 expressing his displeasure with Gordon Campbell's Liberal government.
Last month he was tapped by the Conservatives to represent them in this electoral district.
Lorraine Kolodychuk, who used to sit on the board of executives for the Liberals' Boundary-Similkameen riding association, has become a Conservative Party member because she said she wasn't impressed with how the Liberals handled the termination of Cardoso's candidacy.
I was very disappointed in the Liberal Party's attitude (and) action that they took when Joe was nominated, she said. I was on the board of directors, and I quit.rnShe also alleges that the entire association board broke up after Cardoso was ousted.
But Chad Pederson, spokesman for the provincial Liberal Party, said they've only received membership withdrawals from a handful of people.
And Bill Ross, president of the Liberal's Boundary-Similkameen riding association said claims that the entire board resigned after the party withdrew its support of Cardoso's candidacy are untrue.
We're only aware of a few people who have resigned from the B.C. Liberal Party, Ross said.
He added that while four of the 10 members of the executive board did leave their positions for a while, at least half of them have come back.
I'm only aware of a few that have resigned.
Cardoso said, however, that the Liberals are covering up a defection of its members to the Conservatives.
That's not true, that's definitely not true, he said in response to the comments of Pedersen and Ross. We have had others, and numerous others, and yeah, that is definitely not true.
Kolodychuk said part of the reason she left the party was because of a lack of communication between the party headquarters in Victoria and the local riding association board.
At no time did the Liberal Party ever come to the local board of directors and get input from any of us, she said. They should have come back to the board of directors. That never happened.
Kolodychuck was also concerned about the right to free speech as a member of the Liberal Party.
No party is perfect and I feel that you have the right to be concerned, she said. When you can't express those concerns then you're not having the freedom of speech within your own party.
She said she would have lent her support to Cardoso even if he had decided to run independently.
Jessica Murphy of Oliver also switched her political affiliations since Cardoso's candidacy with the Liberals was ended.
She said she's just part of what she called a mass display of disaffection.
Murphy said she joined the Conservative Party to support Cardoso, but she doesn't see much difference between the policies of the Conservatives and Liberals.
I believe it's the candidate that represents you, not the government in Victoria, she said.
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