MERGER ‘DISCUSSION GROUP’ HAS A CONNECTION TO SCANDAL
I’m afraid this column might be a little too much inside baseball.
OK, it is. This column is so much inside baseball it should come with a beer and a hotdog.
It’s a column about the 10-member “discussion group” named Friday afternoon to plot the next step forward in uniting Alberta’s two conservative parties — the Wildrose and Progressive Conservatives.
I can sense you already wanting to turn the page or go get a beer and/or a hotdog.
But stick with me and you’ll see how this story has connections to some major political scandals.
And to keep it a little more snappy, let’s do today’s column in the form of a question and answer.
Q What is this “discussion group?”
A Good question. This is a panel composed of five people chosen by the Wildrose party and five from the PCs. Their task is to “develop a single unity framework” that would lead to the two parties uniting under one banner. They are to report back within six weeks.
Q Does this mean that the merger is definitely going ahead?
A No, but this is another step. The group will figure out how they can move forward and how they can put the unity framework agreement to a vote by all members of both parties.
Q Who is on the committee?
A The Wildrose had a vote within its caucus to pick two MLAs — Jason Nixon and Pat Stier.
A vote in the party’s executive committee chose two others — the party’s vice-president of fundraising, Brandon Swertz, and party treasurer James Cole.
Q And the fifth?
A This is an interesting one. Wildrose Leader Brian Jean appointed Ontario-based lawyer Arthur Hamilton as his fifth person on the panel.
Q Hmm, why is that name familiar?
A The Wildrose says Hamilton is an “expert in election legislation and the laws governing political parties.”
That is putting it mildly. This guy knows a thing or two about the intersection of the law and politics.
Here’s an excerpt from a Globe and Mail feature on Hamilton published in August 2015: “He is the Conservative Party of Canada’s official lawyer. As such, he has his fingerprints on the majority of Conservative scandals in recent memory, from the Helena Guergis and Rahim Jaffer affair, to Michael Sona and the robocall investigation, to the ‘in and out’ spending controversy, and now the Mike Duffy case.”
As the lawyer for the federal Conservative party, Hamilton wrote a cheque to Senator Mike Duffy to cover his legal fees for negotiating a $90,000 repayment for inappropriate expenses. See?
I told you there was a connection to scandals.
Q How about the Progressive Conservatives?
A Here are the names of their appointees: former interim party leader Ric McIver, Grande Prairie accountant Bridget Hennigar, Edmonton lawyer Devinder Purewal, Calgary lawyer Tyler Shandro and Zoe Addington, who was deputy chief of staff to former premier Jim Prentice.
Q Why is Tyler Shandro’s name familiar?
A He ran unsuccessfully for the presidency of the PC party’s board last year, where he declared: “I don’t want to merge the parties. I don’t think it’s legally permissible. I don’t think it’s feasible and I think the idea is really insulting to most of our members.”
Q Wow — and now he’s in favour of unification?
A Yes. In fact, he helped write a legal brief a few days ago arguing that an amalgamation of the two parties was possible.
Q: What happens next?
A Well, we confirm that the 10 people named to the discussion group are actually on the group.
Q I’m sorry, what do you mean?
A We received unconfirmed word late Friday that Zoe Addington had been named to the panel by accident.
Q What did party officials say?
A As I write this column, nothing. Nobody has returned my harried calls or frantic emails.
Q Why not?
A Perhaps they’re out getting a beer and hotdog.