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Sonia weakened Manmohan, created parallel power structure: Former PM media adviser

New Delhi (IANS): In a book that has sent ripples across the political establishment for its timing and content, Sanjaya Baru, media adviser to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in his first term, has said that Congress president Sonia Gandhi slowly chipped away at the authority of the Prime Minister’s Office, created a parallel power structure and left a weakened prime minister who “allowed himself to become an object of such ridicule in his second term in office.”

In the book that hit the stands Friday, Baru, who now works with a think tank, said so weak was Manmohan Singh that he also failed to defend his (Baru’s) promised reappointment after the 2009 election victory as secretary in the PMO and tamely surrendered to the party’s veto.

“To tell the truth, I was dismayed by the PM’s display of spinelessness,” he said.

Baru, who spoke to Times Now news channel in the evening, also said there had been weakening of the office of prime minister in the coalition era.

He also said that it was widely known in the PMO that some decisions taken by the prime minister went through a pre-verification process to get Gandhi’s verbal nod and this was done by the prime minister’s principal secretary Pulok Chatterji, who was once her close aide.

“He (Chatterji) was very much part of the family. I would not say he took files to her physically because I am not witness to it. But we knew there were a lot of issues (he) would get her approval for before the prime minister could finally agree. I think lots of us in the PMO knew that,” Baru said.

In his book, Baru gave instances of Manmohan Singh capitulating to the extra-constitutional authority of Gandhi and refusing to assert himself.

“Initially, I saw his subservience as an aspect of his shy and self-effacing personality, but over time I felt, like many, that this might be his strategy for political survival. “Was it just unquestioned loyalty to the leader or a survival instinct that prompted him to remain? Whatever the motive, his image took a fatal blow,” Baru said in the book “The Accidental Prime Minister: The Making and Unmaking of Manmohan Singh”.

“So I, like millions of his middle-class supporters, feel tragically cheated that he has allowed himself to become an object of such ridicule in his second term in office, in the process devaluing the office of the prime minister,” he wrote in the book.

The BJP promptly reacted with a I-told-you-so, with party leader M. Venkaiah Naidu saying that “I have been saying from day one, PM presides, Madam decides.”

The Congress, battling countrywide negative perceptions about the government and widely expected to do badly in these polls, was left red-faced.

Baru, during whose tenure in the first term of Manmohan Singh (2004-2009) enjoyed a positive media, was always uncomfortable with the Congress establishment who made no secret of the fact that they wanted him replaced in Manmohan Singh’s second term.

Pankaj Pachauri, who is presently the communication adviser in the Prime Minister’s Office, put out a statement saying: “It is an attempt to misuse a privileged position and access to high office to gain credibility and to apparently exploit it for commercial gain.

“The commentary smacks of fiction and coloured views of a former adviser. The question about comments of the former media adviser was raised by senior editors when they met the prime minister in October last year. His answer was ‘Do not believe all he is saying’.”

Commenting on the PMO’s statement during his interview on Times Now news channel, Baru said it could have been better drafted and added that to describe it as fiction was “ridiculous.”

He contended the book was a balanced account of UPA-I government.

“It was success of UPA-I that made UPA-II possible,” he said.

Baru also said that he had held back what was told to him in confidence.

“(I) have held back quite a lot,” Baru said.

Tim Uppal to announce new policy allowing wearing of kirpans in Canadian missions abroad

TIM Uppal, Minister of State (Multiculturalism), on behalf of Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird, will be announcing a new policy to allow the wearing of kirpans in Canadian missions abroad.

He will make the announcement on Monday at the Khalsa Community School, 69 Maitland Street, Brampton, Ontario.

Registered NRI voters overseas will have to wait for future elections

New Delhi (IANS): NRIs who are registered voters in India will not be able to vote from their foreign locations as Supreme Court Friday accepted that the Election Commission faced statutory and logistic impediments in extending overseas voting facilities to them.

Noting that election for some phases has already been completed, a bench of Justice K.S.Radhakrishnan and Justice Vikramajit Sen said that permitting the NRIs to vote in the remaining six phases would open a “Pandora box” that in some cases, some NRIs have been allowed and not the others.

Taking note of the practical problems that confronted the poll panel even though it was in the favour of extending voting facilities to NRIs from their overseas locations, Justice Radhakrishnsan told petitioner Shamsheer V.P that the “point you have raised is favoured by them (Election Commission) but they have some practical difficulties”.

Shamsheer V.P has sought the reading down of Section 20A of the Representation of the People (Amendment) Act 2010 that mandates the presence of the listed voter at the polling station to cast his vote.
He had contended that any distinction between those physically present at polling booth and those overseas would be violative of article 19(1) as well as article 21 of the constitution.

The court noted that the Election Commission has already decided to constitute a committee to examine the feasibility of different options that can be considered for facilitating voting by overseas NRI electors as it adjourned the hearing till August end for the committee to complete its work and report to the court.

Allowing the application by Shamsheer to amend his petition, the court in its order said: “The respondents (Union of India and the Election Commission) are permitted to file a comprehensive counter affidavit within a period of two months.”

“Report of the Committee be also filed before the court,” the order said.

Pointing to the paucity of time in putting in place arrangements for facilitating the NRIs to exercise their votes from their overseas locations, the Election Commission said even for permitting that amendment will have be made to electoral laws to expand the special category voters.

Under the acts, defence personnel, central government staff and staff at the diplomatic missions abroad come under special category of voters.

Senior counsel Meenakshi Arora who appeared for the Election Commission said that under the circumstances it would not be possible for the commission to make any “interim/time gap arrangements to enable the NRI voters to vote through proxy or through ballot papers, more particularly when the election process is already ongoing” and some phases of the election are already over.

Seeking recognition of the right to external voting, the PIL says that existing provisions creates distinct two categories of haves and have nots amongst 1,00,37,761 NRIs (as on May, 2012 as per the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs) residing abroad as only 11,000 have enrolled themselves as voters in the electoral rolls.

Now Rahul attacks Modi over marital status, Congress files complaint

narendra-modi

Doda / New Delhi (IANS): The Congress Friday upped the ante in this bitterly fought election, when it complained to the Election Commission against Narendra Modi for filing wrong affidavits, the move coming hours after its leader Rahul Gandhi launched a rare personal attack on the BJP prime ministerial candidate for hiding his marital status.

The Congress, which opinion polls and pundits say, is heading for a big defeat, has been also been criticised for putting up a weak defence against the BJP’s and Modi’s personal onslaughts, both against the UPA government as well as its key personalities, including that of the party, particularly Rahul Gandhi. The latter had so far refrained from making personal attacks on Modi, but has started doing so recently.

Gandhi, addressing a rally in Doda in Jammu, said that Modi has fought many elections in the past, “but not once did he disclose the name of his wife nor even admit he is married”.

Modi had written the name of Jashodaben Chimanlal as the name of his wife in an affidavit while filing his nomination papers in Vadodara, Gujarat for the Lok Sabha election. In previous affidavits for the assembly elections he had left the space blank.

“Though their (BJP) posters say in Delhi that they stand for the rights and respect of women, we have a chief minister putting all his efforts on work to spy on a woman,” said the Gandhi scion while alluding to the reported tracking and stalking of a young woman architect in Gujarat, allegedly on instructions from the chief minister’s office. The incident was dubbed ‘Snoopgate’ by sections of the media.

Congress leader and union minister Kapil Sibal said in New Delhi the party has filed a petition with the Election Commission seeking action against Modi for hiding his marital status in his affidavits earlier.

“The Congress is not interested in attacking anybody over personal matters, but this is also a matter of violating the rule of law,” Sibal said addressing a press conference after filing a complaint against Modi.

“In his affidavit in Vadodara (Lok Sabha constituency of Gujarat), Modi informed that he is married. Prior to that, none of his affidavits mention this. It is hence proven those affidavits were wrong,” said Sibal.

He said Modi in affidavits filed in 2001, 2002, 2007 and 2012, did not reveal he was married.

According to Sibal, the poll panel has assured to examine the complaint.

Sibal said that Modi’s disclosure was prompted by Jashodaben’s interview published in an English daily in February 2014, in which she claimed she was Modi’s wife.

“He was a candidate from Rajkot in 2001, and from Maninagar in 2002, 2007 and 2012 for Gujarat assembly elections. On all such occasions he did not mention in his affidavit that he was married,” Sibal added.

The Bharatiya Janata Party was quick to jump to Modi’s defence and warned the Congress against playing “dirty games”.

BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu said: “My advice to the Congress is – don’t play this dirty game – this will boomerang very heavily on you.”

The Congress also attacked Modi over his speech at a public rally in February in which he said that only a person with no family ties can fight corruption. He presented himself as that man, saying he has no family ties and is single. “Who will I be corrupt for?”

Congress General Secretary Shakeel Ahmed said the party was not raking up personal issues but statements of Modi are in the public domain.

“He gave wrong statements in the public domain. The public meeting was monitored by the Election Commission and the affidavit was given to the poll panel,” Ahmed told reporters.

The BJP in a veiled warning to the Congress, said they too know about several “family issues” of the Gandhi family.

“There are several family issues of the Nehru-Gandhi family that we are aware of. Some of it is also recorded in documents,” BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said.

“But we will not discuss it in public because we have a standard,” he said.

Modi’s elder brother Somabhai in a statement released through the BJP had said Thursday that the BJP prime ministerial candidate’s marriage should be seen as a “social formality” which happened nearly 50 years ago.

Australian aircraft detects possible signal in MH370 hunt

Canberra, Australia (IANS): A Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) AP-3C Orion aircraft has detected a possible signal consistent with the missing jet in the vicinity of the Australian Defence Vessel (ADV) Ocean Shield, an official confirmed Thursday.

“The acoustic data will require further analysis overnight but shows potential of being from a man-made source,” said Angus Houston, chief coordinator of the Joint Agency Coordination Center (JACC).

Joint Agency Coordination Center (JACC) is leading the multi-national operation to search for the missing Malaysian Airlines jetliner that vanished mysteriously with 239 on board.

According to JACC figures, the ADV Ocean Shield is narrowing down Thursday’s search area from 75,000 square km to 57,923 km, which lies approximately 2,280 km northwest of Perth, Xinhua reported.

The ADV Ocean Shield detected four signals Saturday and Sunday.

“Hopefully with lots of transmissions we’ll have a tight, small area and hopefully in a matter of days we will be able to find something on the bottom that might confirm that this is the last resting place of MH370,” Houston was quoted as saying.

Up to 14 planes and 13 ships have joined in Thursday’s search for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.

Except for the search operation on the ocean surface, the underwater search also continued Thursday, with the Ocean Shield at the northern end of the defined search area, and Chinese ships Haixun 01 and HMS Echo at the southern end.

Two separate signals were detected Sunday by a US pinger locator being towed by the ADV Ocean Shield in the Indian Ocean search area, about 1,700 km northwest of Perth.

The first detection of the signal lasted for two hours and 20 minutes. After few hours, the second signal was detected which lasted for 13 minutes.

The two signals were about 1800 metres apart.

The ADV Ocean Shield detection Sunday came shortly after a Chinese patrol vessel, the Haixun One Zero, reported detecting two pulse signals Friday night, and then again Saturday at a frequency consistent with black box technology.

The Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 vanished mysteriously about an hour after taking off for Beijing from Kuala Lumpur shortly after midnight March 8.

The Boeing 777-200ER was scheduled to land in Beijing the same day. The 227 passengers on board included five Indians, 154 Chinese and 38 Malaysians.

Despite extensive scouring of the remote southern Indian Ocean area by planes and ships off the coast of Perth, where the plane is believed to have crashed, no trace has been found.

Canada Revenue Agency says service interruption will be taken into account for individual taxpayers

CANADA Revenue Agency said Thursday that the Minister of National Revenue has confirmed that interest and penalties will not be applied to individual taxpayers filing their 2013 tax returns after April 30 for a period equal to the length of this service interruption.

After learning of the security vulnerability posed by the Heartbleed bug, Canada Revenue Agency said it took preventative measures and removed public access to its online services in order to protect the confidentiality of the taxpayer information it holds. Applications affected include online services like EFILE, NETFILE, My Account, My Business Account and Represent a Client.

It said it continues to work on resolving the issue. In keeping with industry practice, it is currently implementing a solution, or “patch”, for the bug, and is vigorously testing all systems to ensure they will be safe and secure once the site is re-launched.

CRA said it appreciated the cooperation and patience of the public and its business and taxpayer representative communities.

“We remain committed to maintaining the confidence of Canadians by taking all steps necessary to ensure the security of taxpayer information. We will continue to provide further information and daily updates at 3PM EDT on our home page,” it added.

Kwantlen Polytechnic University Foundation Chair says funds from foundation were not used to pay KPU executives

OTHERS Ken_Hahn_201221491KEN Hahn, Chair, Kwantlen Polytechnic University Foundation, in an email to The VOICE this week said that funds from foundation were not used to pay KPU executives.

Hahn said: “You may be aware of recent media reports about questions raised by NDP Advanced Education Critic David Eby about whether funds from the Kwantlen Polytechnic University Foundation were used to pay KPU executives.  I want to reassure you that the answer to that question is no and allegations to the contrary are completely false.

“As you are likely aware, the KPU Foundation was established as an independent legal entity in 2000, with the mission of raising funds to create quality life-long learning opportunities for KPU students to achieve personal, social and career success. We are governed by a volunteer board of directors who take the upmost pride in assuring funds donated to the Foundation are used for the purpose that you made your contribution.

“Each year the Foundation is independently audited by a professional accounting firm, and in recent years KPMG has performed this service. Our financial statements can be found at kpu.ca/foundation, and within these you will see the Foundation pays no salaries. Additionally, you can visit the Canada Revenue Agency Charities listings for a full outline of KPU Foundation filings: www.cra-arc.gc.ca/charitiesandgiving. As you will note, our administration costs are 0% and our fundraising costs (for last year) were 1% or $17,749 (the expenses of our annual golf tournament that raises funds for KPU athletes).

“It is disappointing that Mr. Eby did not contact the KPU Foundation to discuss his concerns.  Accordingly, I have reached out to Mr. Eby to ensure that he is aware of the facts.  I took this step to protect the integrity of our organization, which we all know does so much good for students at KPU.  We cherish our donors and the commitment you make to helping students. It is because of you, our donors, that many students who may not have been able to pursue higher education have been given this opportunity.”

Former finance minister Jim Flaherty passes away at 64

NEWS JIM FLAHERTYFORMER finance minister Jim Flaherty passed away on Thursday. He was 64. He suffered a medical crisis at his Ottawa home.

Flaherty had denied that his health had anything to do with his resignation as finance minister last month.

He said: “As many of you know, I faced a health issue over this past year. I have received much support and good wishes from Canadians across the country and for that, I am thankful. I am happy to report that I am on the road to a full recovery and the decision to leave politics was not related in any way to my health. This decision was made because it is the right one for me and my family at this time.”

His family issued a statement, saying their “beloved husband and father passed away peacefully today in Ottawa.” They asked for privacy.

The afternoon question period in the House of Commons was suspended.

The Ontario Legislature also had a recess out of respect for Flaherty and his wife Christine Elliott, who serves as MPP, according to the Toronto Star.

Premier Christy Clark said: “I was shocked and saddened to hear that Jim Flaherty has passed away.  This is a terrible loss for our country. Jim was a great leader and Canadian. He served with distinction in both provincial and federal politics, and made a difference in both. Under his watch, Canada returned to stability and balanced budgets.

“And while his achievements in Toronto and Ottawa will stand the test of time, perhaps his most important legacy was as a family man. My thoughts and prayers are with his wife Christine and their three sons.”

 

HARPER had praised Flaherty’s performance. He said: “In a political career of almost 20 years, Minister Flaherty has exemplified the best qualities of those who enter public life: a true commitment to service, and a sincere desire to leave the country in better shape than it was when he entered politics.

“Canada has benefited immensely from Minister Flaherty’s contributions as one of the longest serving Finance Ministers in our history. Since 2006, he has been a steady hand, ably guiding Canada through the most challenging economic times since the Great Depression and gaining the country a solid global reputation for economic management.

“We emerged from the crisis in a position of strength. Today we lead the G-7 in job creation, Canada is recognized as one of the best places in the world to do business, and we are fulfilling our commitment to keep taxes low. And, thanks largely to Minister Flaherty, our Government will balance the budget by 2015, as we promised to do.”

 

HARPER in a statement on Thursday said: “I learned a short while ago that our colleague, my partner and my friend, Jim Flaherty, has passed away suddenly today.

“This comes as an unexpected and a terrible shock to Jim’s family, to our Caucus, and to Laureen and me.

“And it is with the heaviest of hearts that I offer my family’s condolences, and I know the condolences of the entire Parliament and Government of Canada, to Jim’s wife Christine, and his sons Quinn, Galen and John at this tragic time.

“Christine, Quinn, Galen, John, you’re in all of our thoughts and prayers.

“Jim will be sorely missed, not only by his many friends on both sides of the House, I know particularly his friends in this Caucus among whom he was held unanimously in great, a combination of great respect and affection.

“But he will also be missed by the countless thousands of Canadians that he devoted himself to and whom he helped during his long and successful career in public life.

“The days ahead will provide more suitable occasions for all of us to reflect on the legacy of Jim’s life in public service and for me to talk about the special relationship that I shared with Jim.

“But for now, to he and all of his loved ones, you are in our thoughts and prayers.

“Thank you.”

 

FEDERAL NDP Leader Tom Mulcair said: “It is with great sadness that Catherine and I learned of Jim Flaherty’s passing today. We join all New Democrats in offering our most sincere condolences to his family, loved ones and colleagues in this difficult time.

“As Minister of Finance, Mr. Flaherty served his country with dedication and conviction, even as he faced mounting health challenges. As both a man and a politician, I will remember him for his pleasant demeanour and strength of character.

“Today we all mourn this most proud Canadian.”

 

FEDERAL Liberal Party Leader Justin Trudeau said: “It is with great shock and sadness that I learned of Jim Flaherty’s death.“It was only last month that Jim resigned as Minister of Finance, and I joined with all Canadians then in wishing him well as he looked forward to retirement from public life.“Jim was a dedicated Parliamentarian with a strong social conscience and fundamentally committed to the ideal of public service. He was a proud Canadian and showed continued devotion and commitment to his country over many years. This is a loss to the entire family in the House of Commons.

“My heart goes out to his wife, Christine, their three children, and his family during this very sad time.”

Trevor Linden appointed Vancouver Canucks President of Hockey Operations

OTHERS TREVOR LINDENTHE Vancouver Canucks announced on Wednesday that Trevor Linden has been named President, Hockey Operations, and Alternate Governor, NHL. Linden returns to lead the team that he played on for 16 seasons, including seven as team captain.

In his role, Linden will be responsible for all hockey operations, including the coaching and scouting staffs, player procurement and development, and minor league affiliations and operations.

Since retiring after 19 seasons in the NHL, Linden has resided in Vancouver where he has led a number of successful business ventures ranging from commercial / residential development projects to fitness club chains. He has also remained involved in the community through the Trevor Linden Foundation.

Francesco Aquilini, Chairman, Canucks Sports and Entertainment, said: “It’s my honor to officially welcome Trevor Linden home in his new role as President of Hockey Operations for the Canucks. We believe in Trevor’s leadership abilities. His 20 years of NHL experience including seven as team captain, his role as NHLPA President, community leader and businessman offers a very special skill set; one that will positively shape the direction of this club in the future.”

Linden said: “Today is a real honour. I came to Vancouver 26 years ago and I have never left. I love this city. It is my home and the Canucks have always been part of my family.

“I’m passionate about the Canucks and I want to win – just like our fans. I believe in this team and share the organization’s commitment to excellence on and off of the ice.  I am looking forward to getting started – getting to know everyone in the organization, and working together to win the Stanley Cup for this great city and Province.”

 

Key Facts about Linden’s career:

 

– Originally selected by Vancouver second overall in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft.

– Was named to the NHL All-Rookie Team, was a finalist for Calder Trophy and was named The Hockey  News Rookie-of-the-Year following the 1988.89 season.

– Played for Vancouver 1988-89 to 1997-98 and 2001-02 to 2007-08.

– Recorded 30 or more goals in six of his first eight seasons in the NHL.

– Completed his NHL career ranking 38th in games played (1382), tied for 107th in goals scored (375) and ranks 111th in points (867) scored in NHL history.

– Holds Canucks playoff records for most games played (118), goals (34), assists (61) and points (95).

– Was the third longest tenured Canucks captain (behind Stan Smyl and Markus Naslund), wearing the ‘C’ from 1990-91 to 1996-97.

– Appeared in two all-star games (1990-91 and 1991-92)

– Represented Canada at the 1998 Winter Olympic Games, 1998 World Championships, 1996 World Cup of – Hockey (silver), 1991 World Championships (silver) and 1988 World Junior Championships (gold).

– Elected as President of the NHLPA in 1998, serving in that capacity until 2006.

– In 1997, received the King Clancy Award which is given annually to the NHL player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and who has made a significant humanitarian contribution in his community.

– In 2008, received the NHL Foundation Player Award awarded annually to the NHL player “who applies the core values of hockey – commitment, perseverance and teamwork – to enrich the lives of people in his community”

– At his retirement, ranked first in games played (1,140) and assists (415) and second in goals (318) and points (733) in franchise history.

– Retired as a Canuck on the 20th anniversary of his draft day, June 11, 2008.

– Appointed into Order of Canada in 2010.

 

 

CANUCKS gillis_two_rrON Tuesday, Canucks Sports and Entertainment announced that Mike Gillis has been relieved of his duties as president and general manager.

“On behalf of my entire family, I would like to sincerely thank Mike Gillis for his hard work and the many contributions he made on and off the ice during his tenure,” said Aquilini, Chairman, Canucks Sports and Entertainment. “The Vancouver Canucks had success under Mike’s leadership, and we nearly reached our ultimate goal; but I believe we have reached a point where a change in leadership and new voice is needed.

“I also want to thank our fans for their support for the Vancouver Canucks through a difficult and frustrating season. We haven’t met their expectations or ours. We are committed to bringing the Stanley Cup to Vancouver for our fans and we will continue to do everything possible to reach that goal.”

Gillis replaced Dave Nonis in April 2008 after the Canucks missed the playoffs for the second time in three years. The Canucks made the playoffs every year under Gillis except this season.

 

(Photo courtesy of Trevor Linden Foundation)

 

Horgan’s juggernaut unnerves Mike Farnworth

BC NDP leadership hopeful John Horgan’s juggernaut clearly unnerved Coquitlam MLA Mike Farnworth – whose dreams of being the party leader were shattered after the mass signups of Adrian Dix’s camp led to his defeat in the 2011 leadership campaign in spite of the fact that he was the most popular NDP contender with British Columbians.

Farnworth was clearly unprepared for the momentum that Horgan’s election machine garnered as he first won support from as many as 15 MLAs, including South Asian MLAs Harry Bains (Surrey-Newton) and Raj Chouhan (Burnaby-Edmonds), and then went on to gain the support of

Coquitlam-Maillardville MLA Selina Robinson, former Port Moody-Coquitlam MLA Joe Trasolini, former interim B.C. NDP leader Dawn Black and New Westminster-Coquitlam and Port Moody MP Fin Donnelly – and that was on Farnworth’s turf.

Farnworth’s campaign crumbled like a house of cards and on Tuesday he announced he was out of race.

It appears that Farnworth’s organizational skills were lacking – or had he become too complacent when Horgan announced that he had decided not to run?

Also, it seems that NDP party members were looking for a younger face, but with some political experience that MLA David Eby was lacking. That’s why they managed to convince Horgan to enter the race.

After all, Horgan made a surprisingly strong show in the last leadership election and those who didn’t like Farnworth started pressuring him to run when all the others who had been expected to enter the race, backed out.

In the last leadership contest, Harry Lali and Jagrup Brar supported Farnworth, while Dix had the backing of Harry Bains. MLA Raj Chouhan remained neutral. Lali and Brar lost in the last election.

 

HORGAN said on Tuesday: “Mike Farnworth is a great MLA. He has done so much for our party and our province,” said Horgan. “I am grateful for his support, and the support of so many members of our caucus, as we build a team that will earn the votes of British Columbians in 2017 and make life better for all B.C. families.”

Farnworth said: “John and I share a commitment to ensuring that our party is focused on providing a progressive alternative to the B.C. Liberals that can gain the confidence of voters. There’s too much at stake for us to be distracted and I’m proud to stand with John to ensure that the B.C. NDP is united and ready to win in 2017.”

Horgan, who in the past three weeks had visited New Democrats in B.C.’s interior, northern Vancouver Island, Vancouver and Victoria’s suburbs, said: “Everywhere I go I hear from New Democrats that they want us to be united, strong and proud of who we are and what we represent. And most importantly, they want us to build a team that can and will win in 2017. Today is a major step forward in that effort.”

Horgan said that he was taking nothing for granted, and that he would continue his campaign to bring real leadership for all of BC, with stops in Vancouver, Merritt, Kamloops, Nanaimo, the Okanagan and the Kootenays in the weeks ahead.

 

LAST January, the NDP had announced that their new leader would be announced at an event on September 28 in Vancouver following a four-day voting period.

Leadership voting has been scheduled from September 24-27, with party members voting by preferential ballot ahead of September 28. The party’s chief electoral officer will tabulate the results on September 28, and the winner will be announced at an event that evening. Members will cast their ballots using a telephone and Internet voting system.

The deadline to become a member of the BC NDP in order to vote is June 26. British Columbians can join the party by visiting bcndp.ca/join.

But now there may be no need for an election – unless, of course, someone decides to challenge Horgan after all this!

 

BY RATTAN MALL

 

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