Speaking of NDP defectors....

 Whenever someone crosses the floor to another party, we usually scramble a bit to see if they've said things about their new, political  family that they now regret. Every now and then, for instance, you'll hear the Conservatives dredging up Scott Brison's old quotes about the Liberal party, uttered when he used to be a Progressive Conservative. Same goes for the current interim leader, Bob Rae, who is obviously the most high-profile of New Democrats turned Liberals in Canada today, and is often reminded of the things he used to say about the party he now leads.

So today, when Lise St.-Denis moved from the NDP to the Liberal caucus, I was idly wondering whether she had made any comments she would now regret -- maybe she said the party was dead or something like that in the last election? I'm sure we'll find out. Past political lives can be hard to shake. 

That's certainly the case, it seems, with Paul Summerville, a former NDP candidate in the Toronto  riding of St. Paul's, who is experiencing some flashback political regret this month -- so much, that he felt he had to air it on his website in the past week. Summerville is now a Liberal and would like to be elected as policy chair at this weekend's convention.

During his time as a New Democrat,  Summerville had what he calls "a footnote" part in a rather large catastrophe for  his new party.  Summerville's signature was on the 2005 letter asking  for an investigation  into   alleged  income-trust leaks by then-Liberal finance minister Ralph Goodale. The announcement of that investigation, in the last days of 2005, is widely seen as the fatal seal of Liberal fate before the Conservative election victory of January, 2006.

Summerville calls this "unfortunate." Goodale was cleared of all alleged wrongdoing in 2007.

Here's what Summerville posted on his site:

A Letter to the SEC

PAUL SUMMERVILLE • JANUARY 5, 2012

 

 

I wanted to address an issue that came up yesterday about a footnote in Canadian political history that I occupy.

 

Yesterday news came that an NDP press release from December 2005 regarding the letter dated December 18, 2005 that Judy Wasylycia-Leis and I wrote asking the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) to investigate an unusual pattern of stock and income trust trading was making the rounds with delegates.

 

http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/wasylycia-leis-and-summerville-ask-for-investigation-572558.htm

The facts are that there was a leak and there was criminal conviction.

 

http://www2.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/city/story.html?id=a9423bad-99ab-46ad-abe2-35dcf3706241

However, the announcement by the RCMP to conduct a criminal investigation ''regarding a possible breach of security or illegal transfer of information in advance of the federal government's announcement of changes to the taxation of Canadian corporate dividends and income trusts Nov. 23, 2005” that was announced on December 29, 2005 had nothing to do me, and was not the intent of the letter.

 

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/story.html?id=17a25375-a1c8-4219-bedd-6199a28d191b

The fact that this cast a shadow over Ralph Goodale’s good name who was Finance Minister at the time was very unfortunate.

 

I think most observers including me would argue it was unfair, and of course his office was cleared of any wrong doing.

 

http://www.macleans.ca/canada/national/article.jsp?content=20070215_134912_10588

Over the course of the next few days much will be googled and much will be said.

 

When it involves me please let me know.

 

I will delighted to answer all your questions.

Comments

[Mimi Williams]

"The fact that this cast a shadow over Ralph Goodale’s good name who was Finance Minister at the time was very unfortunate."

His grammar alone should be enough for Liberal delegates to take pause.

[Concerned. big time]

Wow. He just lost this Liberal's vote...

[Richard Mahoney]

You asked for an investigation into the Finance Minister. How can you then say that an investigation was not your intent? Was it not manifestly irresponsible and defamatory to suggest wrongdoing the the SEC?
What role did you play in the drafting of Judy Wasylycia-Leis' letter to the RCMP? Mysteriously, this lead the RCMP to announce an investigation of Finance Minister Ralph Goodale in the middle of an election campaign- a campaign the Liberals were winning until this bogus investigation was announced.

Your actions promoted this view and recommended this action. You defamed an honourable person and you contributed to the defeat of the Liberal Party and the election of Stephen Harper. You call this a "footnote"? And the defaming of Goodale "unfortunate"?

I would think some accountability for your words and actions are in order, and long overdue.

[Pierre Béchard]

Liberals should welcome people from all parties who want to join them. They need to open the doors. When former NDPers or "red" tories start deciding to join the liberal party it is sign that they are on their way up. The political landscape will continue changing between now and 2015. No one can predict what the outcome will be then.

[Peter Meresz]

Unfortunately this action changed the course of Canadian history and gave way to the RCMP to help electing Harper and the Conservatives. With this the chances of a democratic reform in our system and among a few other important Martin initiatives, the Kelowna accord died. So did fiscal responsibility in Canada too.
You and - unfortunately - the late Mr. Layton played the sorcerer's apprentice and brought into motion a force that you did not understand and could not control.

[Darwin O'Connor]

I doubt Martin could have implemented the Kelowna accord and everything else in the few short months between when the government fell and when he had promised to call an election.

More likely he would have go into the election promising to implement the Kelowna accord and a child care program if elected, just as they had for the previous 3 or 4 elections.