Politics proves time and again that history comes back to hit you where the good Lord split you.In the most recent case, Okanagan-Shuswap MP Colin Mayes is the subject of a letter sent by some of his fellow conservatives to Prime MinisterStephen Harper. The 
letter alleges Mayes “adamantly denied being named in a Statement of Claim in the Supreme Court of British Columbia” when asked during this year’s Conservative nomination election about a libel lawsuit filed in 2005.During one of the meetings, Mayes said he wasn’t named in the libel suit: “First of all the lawsuit is not against me; it’s against the mayor of Salmon Arm and the corporation of Salmon Arm.” The Statement of Claim, however, names Colin N. Mayes. And nowhere is the corporation of Salmon Arm even mentioned. Thirty-three local Tories who signed the letter are asking for “appropriate action” to be taken against Mayes – and they cited the case of a Southern Interior candidate who was removed in the last election because he did not disclose legal action pending against him. When we reached Mayes Tuesday morning, the MP shot back saying the small group of local Tories aren’t his supporters and they should have come to him first with their concerns. And the MP defended his statement at the nomination election, saying he didn’t have adequate time to explain himself. Mayes said in an interview, “The suit was filed against myself as mayor and defended by the corporation of the City of Salmon Arm.” Let’s cut the semantics and be clear. The Statement of Claim has named Mayes as the defendant. Two examples: n Article 2 “Mr. Colin Mayes, Defendant, the mayor of Salmon Arm (2002 to 2005) n Article 3 “The Defendant Mayes, had the said letter distributed . . .” And so it goes throughout the four-page document. It’s a mystery to us why Mayes doesn’t simply admit that the legal action is pending against him.Also concerning is the idea that the rift in the local Conservative riding is deep enough that Tories are digging into their own MP’s past. It’s obvious there are wounds in the party locally, and Mayes would be wise to work on bringing peace and unity back into his riding.
letter alleges Mayes “adamantly denied being named in a Statement of Claim in the Supreme Court of British Columbia” when asked during this year’s Conservative nomination election about a libel lawsuit filed in 2005.During one of the meetings, Mayes said he wasn’t named in the libel suit: “First of all the lawsuit is not against me; it’s against the mayor of Salmon Arm and the corporation of Salmon Arm.” The Statement of Claim, however, names Colin N. Mayes. And nowhere is the corporation of Salmon Arm even mentioned. Thirty-three local Tories who signed the letter are asking for “appropriate action” to be taken against Mayes – and they cited the case of a Southern Interior candidate who was removed in the last election because he did not disclose legal action pending against him. When we reached Mayes Tuesday morning, the MP shot back saying the small group of local Tories aren’t his supporters and they should have come to him first with their concerns. And the MP defended his statement at the nomination election, saying he didn’t have adequate time to explain himself. Mayes said in an interview, “The suit was filed against myself as mayor and defended by the corporation of the City of Salmon Arm.” Let’s cut the semantics and be clear. The Statement of Claim has named Mayes as the defendant. Two examples: n Article 2 “Mr. Colin Mayes, Defendant, the mayor of Salmon Arm (2002 to 2005) n Article 3 “The Defendant Mayes, had the said letter distributed . . .” And so it goes throughout the four-page document. It’s a mystery to us why Mayes doesn’t simply admit that the legal action is pending against him.Also concerning is the idea that the rift in the local Conservative riding is deep enough that Tories are digging into their own MP’s past. It’s obvious there are wounds in the party locally, and Mayes would be wise to work on bringing peace and unity back into his riding.
No comments:
Post a Comment