Leaders have final say on party candidates

As the 2018 provincial election creeps closer, the ranks of candidates running for elections is growing. The most recent in Niagara is Niagara Falls NDP MPP Wayne Gates, who was acclaimed as the riding’s candidate this week.

But how party candidates are chosen, and how democratic that selection process is, has itself become a political issue.

An ongoing court case over the selection of the Progressive Conservative candidate in the riding of Hamilton West-Ancaster-Dundas has highlighted what extent party leaders have over the process.

Among the key documents in the case, first reported by the CBC, is an affidavit by PC party president and former St. Catharines Conservative MP Rick Dykstra which says that, in the case of the PC party, riding association votes do not decide how candidates are selected.

“The nomination meeting is not determinative of who will ultimately be listed on the ballot as a PC party candidate in the general election,” Dykstra’s affidavit says. “There is no requirement in the Election Act, the Constitution or the rules that the party leader must endorse, or can only endorse, the nomination contestant who is successful at the nomination meeting.”

Dykstra said he could not discuss the details of the Hamilton case while they are before the courts, but in an interview with The Standard, he said the PC party bylaws clearly give the party leader the authority to choose candidates independent of a nomination meeting.

“That has been the case for a long time,” he said. “And we’re not the only ones. The Liberals, both federally and provincially, have a similar system.”

The Ontario Liberal Party, which has issued several press releases critical of PC policy since Dykstra’s affidavit was filed, grant the party leader limited power to override local nomination votes.

In an emailed statement, deputy-premier and Liberal campaign co-chair Deb Matthews said the premier can appoint up to five candidates for a general election.

A spokeswoman for the Ontario NDP, Rebecca Elming said in an emailed statement that the party leader cannot appoint candidates, all of which are chosen by riding association votes.

Dykstra said he understands the expectation of some party members is that votes at a nomination meeting are final. However, he said the rules of the PC party constitution are clearly laid out and available to all members of the party. Anyone who gets involved in a political party should make themselves familiar with that party’s constitution.

That said, Dykstra said the PC Party is looking to improve communications with

“I think, going forward, this shows us we have to do a better job at communicating those rules to party members,” said Dykstra.