Turncoat MP Michael Ma was gifted the Conservative candidate nomination for Markham-Unionville. He wasn’t burdened with having to demonstrate loyalty by going through the gruelling task of selling hundreds or thousands of memberships. He was spared canvassing in sweltering heat and bitter cold and the discomfort of facing rude Liberal or NDP voters while door-knocking.He didn’t earn it. But Hong Kong-born Ma, who didn’t have much skin in the game, was announced as the Ontario riding’s Conservative candidate the same day the federal election was called. It was a big, baffling risk. And a big mistake..OLDCORN: Skate Canada’s Alberta snub is a self-inflicted pratfall.But why Ma? His 2019 election performance was abysmal. He was hammered in the former Don Valley East riding that traditionally fluctuated between blue and red. He trailed Liberal winner Yasmi Ratansi’s 59.81% with an embarrassing 23.92% of the vote.Sure, Ma won the Markham-Unionville seat favourably leaning Conservative in April’s election — by an underwhelming 1,922 votes.And so, rookie Ma was welcomed into the Conservative MP fold. Ma’s anointing — and that of many others — didn’t sit well with many colleagues or the grassroots. But Conservatives were duped into believing Ma was a “hard-working” team player, according to a well-placed insider..We’ll never know if in a fair nomination process another candidate would have done better — and wouldn’t have given Conservatives the middle finger eight months later.Ma showed his “gratitude” by shivving Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre in the back, and betraying colleagues, staff, and 27,055 working-class voters who supported him by defecting to the Liberals last week. He did so in the sleaziest way. .BORG: Calgary Jewish community comes together in candlelight after Bondi Beach terror attack.Anyone with a sliver of decency would have stayed home last Wednesday. But no, Ma attended the Conservative Christmas party. He shamelessly posed for a photo with Poilievre and his wife Anaida and reportedly didn’t pay for his ticket. No doubt Ma wished everyone Merry Christmas, perhaps while trying to gather last-ditch inside info tidbits to use against them. Did he feel a twinge of guilt knowing he smugly held a dirty secret? The next day, Ma blindsided Poilievre and “shocked” unsuspecting fellow MPs by crossing the floor and pledging allegiance to Liberal Prime Minister Mark Carney..Against the will of the riding majority, just like that, Ma manifested into a Liberal MP. It shouldn’t be so treacherously easy..OLDCORN: Floor-crossing traitor MPs must face a byelection every time — no loopholes, no excuses.Ma defecting on the heels of Acadie-Annapolis Conservative MP Chris d’Entremont (who wasn’t anointed) in November brings the Liberals to one seat shy of an unelected majority government.Hypocritically citing a need for “unity,” Ma praised Liberals after having railed against Liberal policies. Apparently, two million Canadians depending on food banks that distressed him so — he blamed Liberals — became irrelevant when the opportunity arose to become a traitor.No loyalty. No class. He’ll fit in well with Liberal MPs that talk out of both sides of their mouths and sniff at Canadians while shivving them in the back with crippling economic and assorted policies. .ROBSON: Bondi’s 2019 warning should end Canada’s naivete on antisemitic extremism.Chinese foreign interference controversy stalks Markham-Unionville.“Ma was alleged to be meeting with the CCP ambassador to China a couple of days ago. The communist Chinese love him. So why did we get stuck with this dud?”“What was Ma promised? You have to have some reason to cross.”Why Ma and many candidates were anointed remains a mystery. A lingering frustration among party members bubbled to the surface after Ma defected..It isn’t only Ma they’re upset with.“This party was built on the Reform Party grassroots. There’s still a general discontent among many MPs about how nominations were held and appointments were made. There were numerous appointments made, nomination processes not held, and good candidates shut out. I’ve heard it’s dozens.”“It contributed to the election being lost. That has come up in caucus.”Knowing an election was looming, true-blue hopefuls “worked their a**es off” for anywhere from a year to 18 months. Many waited months for the party to schedule a nomination race only to learn candidates were appointed..MCTEAGUE: Mortgaging Canada's energy future — the hidden costs of the Carney-Smith pipeline deal.Frantic calls to party poohbahs “were never returned.”“They did the work. You know they’re loyal. This guy wasn’t. Somebody, who knows where, decided he was going to be appointed.”“You’d think appointed candidates would have to go through typical security checks and vetting, but who knows. It’s a long, involved process to become a candidate.”“The question is if somebody was appointed, did they have to go through the same rigorous endeavor nomination candidates go through? It’s not public.”.The Western Standard reached out to the party with simple questions. How many candidates were appointed in the last election without going through the nomination process? Who made the decisions, specifically to crown defector Ma? Why did it take 12 to 18 months to let hopefuls know if they were accepted or rejected?So far, crickets. No surprise. MPs still wonder about the same things.“That’s the crux of the problem. We’ve not gotten any clarification on it. Everybody’s saying, ‘Why did this candidate get picked’? The powers that be screwed up.”“They’ve never come before caucus and said, ‘We know some people were upset, here’s what happened.’”.BURTON: Canada’s debt reckoning — a moral test we are failing.“How many candidates’ nomination packages were in? These are in-depth packages. People had their packages in and were kicked aside and never given a reason.”“Why would the leader or the party president or the national campaign director let this slide?”The general consensus is that Poilievre, who at times was up 20 points in the polls but lost the election and his Carleton seat, “trusted the wrong people.”“Party members bristled over Poilievre’s national campaign manager Jenni Byrne’s involvement in the election and her alleged involvement in nomination appointments.”.Pressure mounted to fire her after the defeat.Byrne announced last August that she won’t act as campaign chief in the next election, just as an advisor..Steve Outhouse replaces Jenni Byrne as Conservative campaign chief .“Most MPs are glad she won’t be national campaign manager. She seems to like to pick fights. Nasty.”Many theories swirl around why solid candidates weren’t allowed to run.“In some cases, they just wanted to punish somebody they didn’t like.”.SINGH: Loan guarantees for private property yet another self-inflicted blow to BC's economy.Jack Fonseca, director of political operations with Campaign Life Coalition, recently ripped into the “dirty tricks and unethical skullduggery” he claimed party bureaucrats used to “cheat local party members of their right to vote for the nomination candidate of their choice, and to disqualify excellent candidates who've been nothing but loyal and hardworking for the party.”Fonseca claimed a “staggering” number of appointments were made — with many social conservatives shut out.He spoke with “no fewer than 20 nomination candidates in multiple ridings” who experienced this “firsthand.” .“This anti-democratic interference is routinely committed by the Leader's Office, the Executive Director, Regional Organizers (following orders from the Executive Director), the National Candidate Selection Committee (NCSC), and the National Council. All of them MUST have their hands tied by the nomination rules and the constitution so they can't do it again,” he wrote.Former Alberta National Councilor Marilyn Elliott warned last June that frustration was growing over the national council’s policy direction and candidate selection.“The National Council has strayed from its fundamental purpose,” Elliott told CO24 News.“What we’re seeing now is a council that seems more interested in advancing personal agendas than representing party members. The nomination process has become particularly problematic, with qualified candidates being blocked for seemingly arbitrary reasons.” So, the good news is the national council revamped nomination rules earlier this month. .OLDCORN: Danielle Smith’s brilliant immigration plan.Now the leader is authorized to appoint eight candidates in the next election. And a nomination package must now be processed within 36 days.Too late though to rectify specially selected Ma’s betrayal.Predictably, Liberals chortled about gaining two Tory traitors. They taunted about discussions underway with more Conservatives about crossing the floor. Time will tell if it’s typical Liberal hot air to rattle and divide Conservatives.They accused Poilievre of losing control. Just as every cherrypicked MP can’t be suspiciously viewed as the next Ma, Poilievre can’t be blamed for sneaky traitors going behind his back seeking whatever gain was promised them. Apparently, post-Ma and that other traitor — good riddance to both — “caucus is more unified” and stands “firmly” behind their leader. It’s called righteous anger.
