The Liberal Understanding Of Fairness

Stéphane Dion has appointed Joan Beatty, former Saskatchewan NDP cabinet minister and Aboriginal activist as a Liberal party candidate for Desenthe-Missinippi-Churchill River, thus canceling the nomination vote. This is a bad news for anyone who sought Liberal nomination in the riding - including David Orchard.

Orchard's supporters are upset:

I am at a total loss for words. The appointment of an NDP MLA over two solid Liberals in this Northern Saskatchewan riding defies all credible logic. Keep in mind the NDP in the last federal election finished 6500 votes behind the Liberals and Conservatives in DMCR. I guess, as a party, we are content to own one seat in the Province of Saskatchewan perpetually.

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Just as I said couple weeks ago - if Orchard chose to join a political party that believes in ethnic and gender quotas for public and private sector jobs (as well as for candidate nominations), it's only fair that Orchard himself got a "white males need not apply" notice.

Orchard has been campaigning for a couple of months, selling hundreds of memberships at $25 each (not an easy sell in one of the poorest ridings) - just to find out that there would be no nomination vote. Maybe now he understands what it feels like to spend weeks and months looking for a decent job, just to find out that the position you've been applying for went to someone who is less qualified, but who is a member of a special interest group.

On the same blog that brings the news about the appointment of Joan Beatty, there's a picture of Stéphane Dion with a slogan that reads "A Richer, Fairer, Greener Canada". Could there be a better example of how Dion & Co understand fairness?