SUPPLY MANAGEMENT TALK FIZZLES
Members miffed by no debate on quotas
H A L I FA X • A Conservative party policy debate ended in conflict on Friday as dozens of people failed to have their views on supply management heard.
On Thursday, Maxime Bernier said Conservatives’ support for supply management was one of the reasons he was quitting caucus and forming a new party. Ending the system that puts quotas on the production of dairy, eggs and milk, and limits their import with tariffs, was his biggest promise to members during last year’s leadership race.
After the kerfuffle on the convention floor, several young delegates told the National Post they were now more likely to consider supporting Bernier.
At a convention centre in downtown Halifax, three groups of delegates had been handling 76 resolutions to alter the party’s policy book. Two of the groups were able to deal with 24 and 26 resolutions, respectively, within the three hours allotted.
The third group, which started late, did not get all the way down its list. At 4:30 p.m. local time, the chair tried to wrap up. But several resolutions, including the last — which sought to phase out supply management — had not been addressed.
This raised the ire of several dozen delegates. Some yelled, “shame,” and one man went to the microphone to say, “you’re driving us out of the party.”
Alberta MP Garnett Genuis went to the microphone to advocate that the party stick to the rules despite outstanding resolutions. After hearing his argument, the chair called a vote on whether to continue. The majority were in favour of wrapping up, although about 30 people wanted to extend the debate.
“The process is that the ranking and the order is determined based on online voting that happens by members before the convention. And that’s to make sure that the things members are most interested in discussing are discussed earlier,” Genuis said later. The process doesn’t always work the way people want, but it’s “well-designed” because it reflects the wishes of members.
“If people want to discuss a particular issue, then they need to work a little harder next time to get people to vote for it in the online process that happens beforehand,” he added.
A senior Conservative source confirmed that Bernier’s riding association in Beauce, Que., had not participated in the prioritization process.
Joseph Heap, a delegate from Calgary, said he thought there had been a deliberate strategy to run out the clock. He said he could remember events getting pushed back at previous conventions so that the grassroots could be heard on every issue.
“I’m just about to send my resignation letter” to the riding association he has been with for five years. “I’m going to be looking with great interest at Maxime Bernier’s party and I’m definitely going to give it a fair shake.”
Ashley Marshall, another delegate from Alberta, said that this wasn’t even about supply management anymore. “It’s literally about stopping debate,” she said.
“Even if we didn’t get the result that we wanted, if we had a fair debate, people would’ve been satisfied,” said Colby Badhwar, a delegate from Toronto. “Because the way that Max has been acting has turned off a lot of his own supporters. But now, the way that we’ve been treated by the party here, I think a lot of people are considering joining him.”
All three argued that this was all about the fight between Scheer and Bernier, and suggested that Scheer’s staff were whipping MPs into stalling for time. “It’s those two’s egos clashing. That’s what’s created this mess,” said Marshall.
A spokesman for Scheer, Brock Harrison, said every convention ends with resolutions that don’t get debated, “and people being disappointed about it.” He said party rules stipulate that 20 to 25 resolutions get debated at each session, and in this case 21 had. “If people wanted this debated, they should have worked harder to have it ranked higher in the grassroots process.”
Delegates who spoke to the Post through the day had generally lined up behind Scheer.
Bernier has not announced the particulars of his potential party. His office, reached on Friday, said he was not available for an interview and would be starting a weeklong vacation on Saturday.