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Casey predicament recalls another nomination dispute |
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Written by Al Hollingsworth
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Saturday, 20 October 2007 |
It is easy to side with Bill Casey and his battle with the Conservative Party of Canada. Bill has become the people’s champion, not only here in Nova Scotia but right across this vast land. I dare say, if the provincial Progressive Conservatives were to toss Rodney MacDonald and draft Bill Casey, he would probably sweep the Tories back into office with a majority government.
It’s not often that an individual of his caliber, dripping with integrity, comes along. Most, while applauding his stance, do not totally understand what he has sacrificed.
Having said that, I tend to side with the Prime Minister and his decision to refuse to sign Casey’s nomination papers. I’m no Stephen Harper fan, but I do respect the process. How else would he or any other leader be able to hold their caucus together? To cave in would be to open the door to anarchy. Every vote from that point on would be a “free” vote.
As all of this unfolded, I thought of another time and another Progressive Conservative leader, Robert Lorne Stanfield, who had to say no to a nominated Atlantic Canadian candidate.
Today’s war of words between Harper and Casey is pretty tame stuff when you reflect back on what transpired in the days, weeks and years leading up to this confrontation in 1974.
In the early 1960s, Moncton began a transition that continues today. The establishment of the Université de Moncton changed life forever in the Hub City. U de M evolved from St. Joseph’s College in Memramcook. Until that time, young high school graduates seeking to continue their education had to leave their community in order to do so.
The coming of U de M, a bilingual college, was welcomed and praised by both French and English. It didn’t take long for that to change. Soon after the college was built, it became a French speaking institution, much to the chagrin of the city’s mayor, Leonard Jones. First elected as a councilor in 1957, he served as mayor of Moncton between 1963 and 1974.
Jones was a fierce opponent of the Official Languages Act, dead against the use of the French language in city business, and determined to continue to conduct council meetings exclusively in English. This stance pitted him against New Brunswick Premier Louis Robichaud, who was concurrently developing legislation that would recognize the equality of the French language within the province. Robichaud is credited with the opening of the new university campus in 1964.
The colourful mayor didn’t mince words. Jones had a running battle with the students, especially the Quebec natives who chose to enroll at U de M. More militant than the locals, they marched on city hall to protest hiring methods and the general running of the city.
Two students decided to deliver a severed pig’s head to the mayor and his family. The students were eventually caught and charged. When it was discovered that one of them had a criminal record, police placed the mayor and his family under constant protection.
In the previous election, held in 1972, the PC candidate Charlie Thomas won the seat recording 22, 657 (remember this figure) votes. When the 1974 vote was called, Jones decided that the only way to change things was to go to Ottawa. So he challenged Thomas for the nomination and won. Enter Bob Stanfield.
Jones, branded by many as a bigot, was viewed by Stanfield as an unacceptable candidate for the Tories, and he refused to sign the nomination papers. Thomas was declared the candidate. It gets better.
Undaunted, Jones decided to run as an independent candidate. Not only did he run, he won big time. In 1974, the results were as follows:
Independent Leonard Jones 20,671
Liberal Leonide Cyr 16,199
Progressive Conservative Charlie Thomas 6,456
Clearly, Jones was not alone in his anti- French stance, as more than 20,000 Monctonians, 46% of the voters, marked their “X” beside his name. Jones, who died in 1998, served as an MP until 1979. Thankfully, his political life ended in 1978 when he decided not to run for a second term.
As suggested earlier, this Harper/Casey confrontation looks pretty tame by comparison.
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