VOTER TURN-OUT WILL BE LOW AGAIN

An official  in the Prime Minister's campaign has been sent down  to Ottawa. Media links the exile to  

Tuesday's dumped candidates. Once again,technology outed the miscreants. In Harper territory, somebody had to bear the brunt. If not the CAO in the Prime Minister's office...somebody else not so close.

How do they find these candidates? Why were they chosen? If they weren't there to fill the space 

would any-one  with  a reputation and credibility offer to serve. We certainly are living in changed 

times.

Liberals have had to turf a candidate. A twenty-one year old Muslim girl had to pull out because of inappropriate comments posted on Facebook when she was just a teen-ager. Like  yesterday. With more than a few other teens and older than teens. 

There is no politically correct way to say this so I will  say it straight.

What wisdom, judgement or proven competence is a twenty-one year old likely to bring to the Honourable Office of  Member of Parliament. 

Yes ...the Conservative candidates were  more egregiously lacking. They are  white and there's no visible record of religion practiced. 

How is the electorate supposed to refer to in their assessment?

Are these three isolated cases of nominations gone awry?

Jean Chretien once chose the candidate in Etobicoke/Lakeshore . A media profile showedJean Augustine, black as coal, came  from Jamaica to work as a domestic leaving her two children  behind with her family. Afterwards they came to Canada and the single mother became a welfare recipient who went back to school and earned a certificate  at Teacher's College. At the time the Liberal leader chose her, Jean Augustine had become  Principal of an elementary school. 

Augustine was never a back-bencher. As Parliamentary-Secretary to the Prime Minister's office her visible minority face was highly visible behind him. One of only two black members.  

Three terms at the Federal level was enough to earn a comfortable pension. By Provincial appointment, she  afterwards occupied the office of something called  Commissioner of Fairness with a per diem of $566.

Controversy erupted  about use of extravagant  use of limousine service and a charge of $3.50 for ear phones during her extensive travels . Monies had to be re-paid. Ontario Liberal Culture Minister Michael Chan cited " improper useof funds" 

While in Paarliament, a fellow Liberal, not-so-honorable, Djag Bhaduria was expelled from the  party for disreputable conduct.it was alleged he sent threatening letters to school,officials because he was not chosen for a position and, as a landlord he failed to carry out necessary repairs on residential buildings he owned. 

Several petitions were collected in the Markham riding demanding he be removed from his seat in Parliament.To no avail. He also travelled far as an M.P.  He again sought the nomination  in the next election. A picture in the press showed him surrounded at the nomination by dark faces wearing turbans. 

At the time of his ouster  from the party, Jean Augustine  took the position the Prime Minister's decision to expel Bhaduria was an act of racism. 

Appointments,Awards and Honours continued to be showered upon her notwithstanding. 

I have told this story before.

No doubt it will be brought to mind again now with newly nominated and dumped candidates.

As a Canadian my intelligence is insulted. 

That a person, quick to recognize opportunity but conspicuously lacking in discernment and judgement was repeatedly raised to prominence for political reasons, strictly in the basis of skin colour, degrades every value and principle of integrity that matters.

Anyone interested in understanding why the right to vote ,so hard-won, now so little respected, 

need look no further.