Former MLA cries foul in Liberal nomination process

Andrew Livingstone Northern News Services Published Friday, August 29, 2008

SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Former Yellowknife Centre MLA Jake Ootes said he is not supportive of the way the Liberal Party of Canada is selecting party candidates. Ootes, a former NWT cabinet minister who was elected to the legislative assembly in 1995 and served as an MLA until 2003, now lives in Celesta, a small community on the north shore of Shuswap Lake in British Columbia.

Jake Ootes

He ran for the federal Liberal candidacy in the Okanagan-Shuswap riding in 2007 but was not selected. He planned to seek the nomination again this year. But Bruce Young, co-chair for the Liberals' election readiness committee in B.C., contacted Ootes and told him not to seek the nomination because they wanted a female candidate. "I got a call from the headquarters in B.C. here to say that with the resignation of (candidate Buffy Baumbrough), they were below the percentage of female candidates that the leader wants," Ootes said. Earlier this year, Baumbrough, who won the nomination in 2007 as the Liberal candidate for the riding, declined it to seek re-election to Vernon city council.

Liberal leader Stephane Dion is aiming to have more than one-third of Liberal candidates be female in the next federal election. Ootes spoke with Janna Francis, president of the Okanagan-Shuswap riding association about running. They both had plans to seek the nomination. Francis said she supports an open nomination process that isn't limited by gender. "We didn't like that response and that's (why) we were going to advocate that there not be a condition placed on candidates," she said. "As much as we respect and want more women in politics ... we didn't think that this riding needed that kind of policy."

If Ootes were to put in his nomination papers, he would have to face a green light committee - a provincial-level group that approves applicants for nomination. "I was told that they have all sorts of ways and means to turn down these applications," Ootes said. Ootes wasn't prohibited from putting in an application; in fact, it was supported by the election readiness committee. However, it would still have to be approved by the green light committee, which Ootes felt would never happen, so he decided to not run. "My decision not to seek the nomination is in keeping with the Liberal tradition of ensuring party unity and harmony," Ootes said.

Ootes said while he supports the idea of more women in politics, he doesn't support what he calls the "affirmative action" approach the party is taking for female representation. "I think that setting a percentage of women in office is not a correct way to go," Ootes said. "I strongly support more women to be at the decision making table. To force-feed and appoint people directly isn't the way to go. There are ways and means of setting and educating people on the political process and encouraging the political process but the affirmative action approach is not the way to go with it." Francis said she was disappointed Ootes did not put in his nomination papers, stating it is important for communities to have a choice when making these kinds of decisions. Francis was selected as the candidate for the riding when nomination meetings were held Aug. 23.The British Columbia Liberals office and the party headquarters in Ottawa were contacted regarding Ootes' concerns, but did not comment prior to deadline.