In a resignation letter distributed throughout the party Wednesday, Georgette St-Onge argued Conservative Quebec lieutenant Christian Paradis, the federal industry minister, made no effort to help a credible candidate in her riding of Joliette solicit votes in the last election.
Since then, she said the riding association has been left out of the loop on important party policy like employment insurance reform, which made it difficult to defend given how “poorly” it was explained to citizens.
“Here’s another aberration,” she wrote in French in the letter obtained by Postmedia News. “We wanted to receive Sen. Jacques Demers. It became a festival of phone calls and not a single person was able to set a date for an event.”
Paradis, she added, looked “visibly disinterested” at the one riding association meeting he attended. She said he stayed for 20 minutes and left having “said and proposed almost nothing.”
Noting another “control freak” policy, St-Onge said the riding association was barred from advertising an event with Sen. Jean-Guy Dagenais in the local newspapers, while a Conservative staffer at an event with Maxime Bernier tried to turn away media that were invited to cover the event.
“It’s clear that the Conservative Party has no desire to elect more MPs in Quebec,” she wrote. “I will not waste any more of my time or money, which I give voluntarily. In any case, the Conservative Party is once again heading towards a wall in the next election in Quebec. I seriously advise you not to spend another dollar in Quebec for political organization. It’s pure waste.”
St-Onge, a retiree, added in an interview Wednesday that she has volunteered six to seven hours a day for about four years recruiting members, organizing activities and fundraising for the party.
While she believes Stephen Harper is “an excellent prime minister,” she has concerns about the people who work for him. She also noted at least three fellow Quebec Conservative riding presidents called to congratulate her for her courage and indicated they feel the same.
A Conservative official, however, suggested several board members have also quit because St-Onge was difficult to deal with. The official added her claims were “ridiculous” as there have been numerous party events held in her riding.
In a recent interview with a Quebec radio station, Harper did acknowledge the need to have more representation in the province and suggested to Quebecers that there’s a downside to having so many New Democrats around.
“It is essential for us to have more representation from Quebec in our party, and it is also necessary for Quebec to have representation from the real voice in Ottawa, instead of from representatives who are invisible — which does not serve the interests of Quebecers,” he said.
Francine Raynault, the NDP MP for Joliette, was forwarded a copy of the letter. She described St-Onge as a devoted Conservative who is respected in the community.
She also agreed many in the community are frustrated with the Conservatives, particularly over Service Canada cuts that have made it difficult to deal with employment insurance matters.
The Conservative Party currently holds five seats in Quebec, half as many as it had following the 2006 election when the party was riding high, in part due to a surge in support for the provincial, right-wing Action Democratique du Quebec which became the official Opposition in the 2007 provincial election.
During the last federal election, it was the NDP that caught the attention of Quebecers, winning 59 seats — two of which they’ve since lost when members crossed the floor to other parties.
Original Article
Source: canada.com
Author: Tobi Cohen
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