NDP leadership race stumbles

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This article was published 20/02/2015 (4168 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The NDP leadership race has been tarnished by accusations of voter interference and intimidation.

At the centre of it is former finance minister Rosann Wowchuk.

The allegations are serious enough the NDP’s election of leader committee (ELC) has set aside all the mail-in ballots from Swan River for delegate selection for the March 8 leadership contest.

The decision, made on Thursday, requires all 220 NDP members in the Swan River constituency to vote again on their choices for delegates, a move that will delay by about one week knowing which of the three leadership candidates takes or splits the 22 delegates.

“Over the last couple of weeks, a number of incidents were reported regarding potential voter interference in the constituency of Swan River,” the committee said in its ruling issued to the campaigns of Premier Greg Selinger and challengers Theresa Oswald and Steve Ashton.

“The incidents involved members who felt intimidated, were provided incorrect and/or misleading information and who had had their ballot filled out by another person.

“The election of leader committee takes these allegations seriously. While (we were) able to follow up with some of the members involved and confirm the details and, in some instances reissued ballots, the ELC is concerned that members may be reluctant to come forward.”

The result of the mail-in delegate selection ballots was supposed to be released today. Mail-in ballots are also to come from Thompson, Flin Flon, The Pas and Kewatinook. The results of delegate selection for the Manitoba Young New Democrats are also to come today.

Party spokesman Ben Johnson said the NDP will not comment on the committee’s ruling.

The committee said new ballots had to be submitted for delegate selection to protect the integrity of the party.

“Due to problems related to the first ballot, a second ballot is required,” the committee said. “This will be followed up by a phone call to the membership from (the) provincial office explaining what has happened. The deadline for returning ballots will be Friday, Feb. 27, or postmarked. This puts us all on a very tight timeline.”

Swan River NDP local president Laura Henderson said up to half a dozen ballots were improperly filled out, leading to the complaint to the committee.

“We became aware that there were people being helped with their ballots as in somebody was filling them out for them,” Henderson, an Oswald supporter, said.

Henderson said she and other party members confirmed Wowchuk, a Selinger supporter, was filling out those ballots. Wowchuk, the retired MLA for the constituency, is one of several people who provided a testimonial on a brochure supporting Selinger.

Henderson said she learned of it in her phone calls to members to remind them to mail in their ballots.

She said in one call she spoke to an elderly couple about whether they had filled out their ballots.

“The lady said, ‘Well, kind of,’ ” Henderson said. “I said, ‘Oh, what does that mean?’ and she said, ‘Rosann was here and helped us fill them out.’ I said, ‘She helped you?’ and she said, ‘Well, she just filled them out and put them in the envelope and gave it to us to mail.’ I said, ‘Pardon?’ “

Wowchuk was unavailable for comment.

Henderson said the woman was upset because she did not know how she had voted.

“We’ve had a few other complaints, but some people have said they don’t want to bother because they don’t want to upset the apple cart, which isn’t right either,” Henderson said.

She said she is pleased at how the party dealt with her complaint by ordering a second ballot for the constituency. “The process has to be fair,” she said. “It’s just been a real disappointment. People have had their right to vote taken away from them from someone they trusted. Rosann has the right to her own opinion, but she doesn’t have to push it on everyone else.”

bruce.owen@freepress.mb.ca