-Liberals to choose new candidate on March 7-

OSOYOOS TIMES-March 4, 2009-

By Paul EverestrnOsoyoos Times

In a public statement released to media on March 2, former Liberal candidate for the Boundary-Similkameen riding Joe Cardoso said the reason his candidacy was reviewed and eventually terminated was due to a letter that appeared in the Oliver Chronicle in 2005.
The letter to the editor challenged some of Premier Gordon Campbell's policies at the time and compares the provincial Liberals to previous governing parties such as the Social Credit party and the NDP.
Dashed are the hopes that many of us had for an end to the extreme party ideology, an end to a worn out style of governing, the letter reads. Dashed are the hopes for a new 'middle of the road' common sense party, the BC Liberal Party.rnThe letter ended with the statement Gordon Campbell, you're fired!rnIn a media release issued on Feb. 23, the Liberals said they were withdrawing their support for Cardoso's candidacy because the party sets high standards and requires all potential candidates to be forthcoming and fully disclose positions they have taken on provincial political issues. Unfortunately, that was not the case in this situation.rnThe party's decision to withdraw its endorsement of Cardoso because of this irregularity is frivolous and unworthy of the party relying on it, Cardoso said in the statement.
The letter said that the Premier's policies were 'off base' and some things needed reconsideration, Cardoso said. In 2005 the Liberals were off base, that was many people's view at the time, since then they have picked-up their boot straps and governed more responsibly.rnHe went on to say that it was the You're fired comment that got him in trouble with the party elite.
That is what this is all about. It is about the right of people to speak their minds freely and say that the 'boss' might be wrong.rnCardoso said he had forgotten about the letter, which he is accused of concealing.
He added that he learned during an appeal of the party's decision that someone from Penticton-Okanagan Valley MLA Bill Barisoff's office remembered the letter from when it was originally written.
The person told Barisoff and Okanagan-Westside MLA Rick Thorpe and the letter was eventually brought to the party's attention after Cardoso was nominated at a meeting in Osoyoos on Nov. 8.
Chad Pederson, the party's communications and membership services director, could not comment on the appeal.
He said, however, that the letter itself was not the reason for the party's retraction of endorsement for Cardoso's candidacy.
It's not so much what was said, rather than it was not disclosed, Pederson said, adding that Cardoso did not include information about the letter in a nominee application.
Pederson said the party has welcomed people from other party affiliations, including former NDP members, or those who have criticized the party in the past.
But past affiliations or opinions would have to be disclosed, he said.
Cardoso concluded his statement by saying that he felt more than 50 per cent of local party members are having their right to choose taken away from them.
This is a bad situation; party members will not get a chance to support the nominee they elected the first time, he said. Time has run out to find a new candidate that is of the member's choice; why should they support a process that appears to be severely flawed.rnFormer Osoyoos mayor John Slater and former Oliver mayor Ron Hovanes, who were defeated by Cardoso at the nomination meeting, have said they intend to run again during a new nomination meeting on March 7 between 11 a.m and 3 p.m. at the Sonora Community Centre.
Hovanes launched his own appeal of the nomination on the basis that he felt the venue of the November meeting, Osoyoos Secondary School, was not secure.rnThe security was a bit lacking, he said, adding that he learned some people were coaching party members about who to vote for in the school's parking lot.
Hovanes said the party looked at his concerns but he added that he felt his appeal had nothing to do with the termination of Cardoso's candidacy.
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