Cambridge PCs push back against party
CAMBRIDGE — The Cambridge PC Riding Association is demanding the provincial party executive reinstate one of PC Leader Patrick Brown’s most outspoken critics, saying the expulsion is a “direct attack on the democratic rights of party members.”
Jim Karahalios, a Cambridge-based lawyer and conservative organizer, was kicked out of his own party after he called on the PC leadership to reopen nomination races where there have been allegations of ballot stuffing, interference and voter fraud.
Karahalios, president of the federal Conservative riding association, helped the provincial association seek an injunction after it appeared the party leadership was pulling strings in the Cambridge nomination to give an advantage to a parachute candidate from Alberta.
The lawyer’s public campaigns against Brown have made him a public enemy at PC provincial headquarters in Toronto.
The PC Party executive has sued him — a judge dismissed the lawsuit last month as a crackdown on dissent — and revoked his party membership.
The Cambridge riding association says the PC leadership overstepped and needs to give Karahalios his membership back immediately.
They argue the “heavyhanded” move appears to be motivated by revenge and has only hurt the party.
“It is a direct attack on the democratic rights of party members and their ability to freely participate in internal party politics without the threat of having one’s membership revoked,” reads the letter sent to the party executive Dec. 29.
Ron Dancey, vice-president of the Cambridge riding association, says party leadership is breaking its own rules by going after Karahalios.
“This should never have been done,” he said.
“Are they going to backtrack? I don’t know. But they need to realize this is something that isn’t going over well. They should do the right thing and reinstate him.”
Not everyone agrees with Karahalios’ criticism of Brown, but many conservatives in Cambridge are concerned about how he’s been treated for speaking out, Dancey said.
“I think generally they feel he’s been handed something that he didn’t deserve,” he said.
“Jim feels quite passionate about his criticisms, and I don’t blame him for that. There’s certain rules that one should follow and it’s not being done. Somebody needs to take them to task.”
Rick Dykstra, president of the Ontario PC party, declined to comment on the situation. The party executive hasn’t responded to the riding association’s call to reinstate Karahalios, Dancey said.
In its letter, the association complained about a lack of due process and questioned whether the party’s constitution allows the PC Party Executive
to revoke anyone’s party membership.
“The clandestine and heavyhanded nature of the revocation of Mr. Karahalios’ membership appears to be an attempt to purge the party of any critics in an attempt to silence all dissent,” reads the letter.
“You, the PC Party Executive, do not have supreme power over the PC Party Constitution or party members.”
The PC Party, in its lawsuit, alleged Karahalios illegally used the party’s mailing list to promote his grassroots campaigns. But Superior Court Justice Paul Perell sided with Karahalios and dismissed the PCs’ case, ruling the litigation was an attempt to limit his right to speak out on matters of public interest.
Four people are seeking the nomination in Cambridge to represent the PCs in the next election.
The candidacy of one of them, Calgary dentist Tanya Khattra, sparked controversy after party headquarters overruled the local nomination committee and bumped up the nomination meeting by a month.
Karahalios and others complained publicly that move appeared to give Khattra, who had the lead in signing up new memberships, an unfair advantage over local candidates.
The PC party executive backed down after an uproar from local members, and are letting the riding association set a new date for the nomination meeting.
Dancey says that nomination battle, and the controversy over the party’s treatment of Karahalios, have been a distraction — and poorly timed given there’s an election looming just months away.
But the riding association doesn’t intend to back down, he said.
“We’re not about to let these things go. Cambridge is very feisty when these situations come up, so it has been a distraction to some extent,” he said. “Hopefully, they’ll right the system and we can get back to work.”