Tag: frank klees

In Markham for the 2009 PC leadership convention (aka announcement)

I’m here in Markham for the leadership convention for the next leader of the PC Party of Ontario.  It’s been a fairly nasty race with some bad blood between a few candidates.  Ontario PC conventions have been dramatic in recent years as former leader John Tory defended his job against a Dump Tory campaign and now there’s a looming police investigation over some dirty tricks conducted by one of the campaigns (or an outside agent) against the GOTV efforts of at least one candidate.

I’m off to go and find something interesting to report back here, but in the meantime check out what Calgary Grit describes as the worst campaign song in Canadian political history.  Often, supporters come out with music for political campaigns, and this particular video is a bit different.  It’s by a young BC based artist and was sponsored by someone on behalf of the Klees campaign.  Here it is.

Now that you’ve listened to the magic, I spent five minutes making it more interesting (I thought the rhythm sounded familiar).  We’ve seen Hudak vs. Klees and Klees vs. Hudak.  Here’s Klees vs. Moby – the remix:

Yikes, I wouldn’t even be able to DJ a wedding… bar mitzvah… funeral! Anyway, let’s hope I find something more interesting to report here soon.  Maybe I’ll bump into Perez Hudak?

Police called in regarding suspected voter suppression in PC leadership race

The following was received by “unambiguously ethnic” (as PH puts) PC Party of Ontario members in a Toronto area riding. It reeks of voter suppression. (h/t Perez)

Frank Klees’ campaign has focused upon signing up new Canadians and bringing increased diversity to the PC Party of Ontario. His campaign believes that his campaign was the target of this “dirty trick” type of politicking.

I’ve received the following letter from a source close to the Klees campaign. The letter is from party president Ken Zeise. It informs the Klees campaign that the police are now investigating the matter.

Klees campaign responds to Hudak

I just got off the phone with a senior member of Frank Klees’ campaign regarding the letter from Tim Hudak’s co-chair Blair McCreadie. To say the least, Klees’ people are furious.

It was explained to me that two weeks ago, the Klees campaign conducted a voter ID poll and they argue that this was completely legal. All questions asked, they argue, were in the public domain. Questions were asked regarding the “faltering” Hudak campaign and second ballot support. It was argued that because the characterization of the campaign had been reported in mainstream media and on the blogs that this was a public perception poll and that questions were asked legitimately.

The main complaint from the Klees campaign is that the Hudak campaign strategically held their complaint until the day of the TVO debate, a forum where candidates could truly interact and go back and forth. Steve Paikin was the host of the debate. Klees’ campaign complains that the Hudak campaign made their complaint on this day in an attempt to de-legitimize their campaign. They suggest that the post-debate scrum of Klees regarding the “push poll” was evidence to this.

The Klees campaign characterizes the McCreadie letter as “arrogant”, “pious” a “smear” and “not true”. The Klees campaign argued that while McCreadie and the Hudak campaign initiated the complaint, McCreadie himself was 45 minutes late to the three hour meeting to decide the complaint, which he ultimately lost. Further, the Klees campaign accuses the Hudak campaign of salting the earth, “what is this, winning at all costs?” Further, it was explained that all candidates want party unity and that it is “arrogant” for the Hudak campaign to think that only they hold that card.

Ouch.

I imagine that this is not the final barrage; we’ll be here all day, folks. But let’s try to work on this “unity” thing sooner rather than later, k?