Lenore Zann seeks federal Liberal nomination for Cumberland-Colchester

13 posts / 0 new

Sun, 2019-06-09 20:58

robbie_dee

CBC: Lenore Zann seeks federal Liberal nomination for Cumberland-Colchester

Quote:
Longtime NDP MLA Lenore Zann will seek the federal Liberal nomination in Cumberland-Colchester.

Zann has been the MLA for Truro-Bible Hill, and later Truro-Bible Hill-Millbrook-Salmon River, for a decade. She made an announcement at a celebration on Sunday to mark 10 years on the job as an MLA.

"In the end I talked to my family, I talked to my friends, I talked to lots of constituents in the last six months and everybody agreed that the only way I could possibly beat Andrew Scheer and keep the seat from going to the Conservatives was to run for the Liberals," Zann said. "And they've welcomed me with open arms so that's why I decided to go this way."

***

Zann said she had been approached by the federal NDP to run as well. She said Jagmeet Singh's leadership played no role in her decision.

"Jagmeet is a lovely, lovely bright young man full of all kinds of great ideas like Justin Trudeau," Zann said. "I really like them both. I met with both of them before Christmas when I was in Ottawa."

She also said she would leave the provincial NDP caucus and sit as an independent for the time being.

Sun, 2019-06-09 23:59

Ken Burch

Great. ANOTHER politician who has abandoned everything she ever stood for, and joined the Party of No Conscience.

Mon, 2019-06-10 00:50

Debater

Ken, politicians play musical chairs from all parties. Many members of the NDP are former Liberals.

It's one of the realities of our system. All parties are guilty of it.

Mon, 2019-06-10 17:43

Caissa

The NDP were polling federally at 5% in the riding.

Mon, 2019-06-10 20:43

Debater

Yes, the polling for Atlantic Canada shows the NDP falling behind the Greens.

That could make it difficult for even someone of Jack Harris's star caliber to make a comeback in Newfoundland. He has a chance because the Liberals are down in the Atlantic too, but St. John's East is probably the only chance the NDP has for a seat in the Maritimes.

Mon, 2019-06-10 20:59

WWWTT

I remember Rathika doing the same.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rathika_Iwas really disappointed when Rathika abandoned the NDP.

Mon, 2019-06-10 22:05

swallow

Most politicians mainly want to get elected. They'll go wherever they must to meet that goal.

Mon, 2019-06-10 22:56

Debater

Although switching from one party to another happens in this country multiple times every year, I think it contributes to a sense among the voting public that all politicians & parties are the same.

The ease with which so many politicians play musical chairs contributes to the cynicism the public feels towards politicians. Some of these MPs & candidates may genuinely believe they have good reasons for switching, but it happens so frequently that it's hard for the public to know what to make of it.

There are hundreds of examples to numerous to list, but here are some:

Leona Alleslev -- was elected as a Liberal MP under Justin Trudeau in 2015. Crosses the floor to Scheer's Conservatives in 2018.

Paul Manly -- wanted to run for an NDP nomination in 2015. He was not allowed to do so and becomes a Green MP in 2019 instead.

David Merner -- runs for the Liberals on Vancouver Island in 2015, then switches to the Greens in 2019.

Steven Fletcher -- long-time Conservative MP from Manitoba under Stephen Harper. Denied the Conservative nomination in 2019 so is now running for Maxime Bernier People's Party.

Scott Brison -- started out as a PC MP for Nova Scotia under Jean Charest/Joe Clark. Quits to become a Liberal MP under Paul Martin when Stephen Harper becomes CPC leader.

Belinda Stronach -- starts off as a Conservative MP, then crosses the floor to become a Liberal MP.

Wajid Khan -- starts off as a Liberal MP, then crosses the floor to become a Conservative MP.

David Emerson -- starts off as a Liberal MP, then suddenly is made a Conservative cabinet minister the moment Stephen Harper becomes Prime Minister.

Bob Rae -- first NDP Premier of Ontario. Ends up quitting the NDP years later and becomes a Liberal MP and Interim Liberal Leader.

Ujjal Dosanjh -- NDP Premier of British Columbia. Ends up becoming a Federal Liberal cabinet minister.

Bill Casey -- long-time PC/CPC MP for Nova Scotia. Switches to the Liberals in 2015 and gets elected as a Liberal MP.

Francoise Boivin -- elected as a Liberal MP in Gatineau under Paul Martin. Then decides to join the NDP and gets elected as an NDP MP under Jack Layton.

Réjean Hébert -- former PQ cabinet minister. Now considering a run for Justin Trudeau's Liberals in Quebec in 2019.

And on & on it goes . . .

Mon, 2019-06-10 22:58

robbie_dee

If Zann goes federal, can the NDP win back her provincial seat? Or was it largely a personal vote for her in Truro?

Tue, 2019-06-11 04:17

(Reply to #9) #10

Ken Burch

Caissa wrote:

The NDP were polling federally at 5% in the riding.

Why even bother trying to win a federal seat this year, though? If she does get elected as a Liberal-which is by no means assured-it will be impossible for her to work for any of the things she fought for as a New Democrat, and she will now be obligated to join in the arrogant demands the LPC will be making in every part of the country that NDP supporters "vote strategically", i.e., forever abandon all their priciples and vote for the Liberal candidate in whatever riding they live in.

Tue, 2019-06-11 12:41

(Reply to #10) #11

robbie_dee

Ken Burch wrote:

Why even bother trying to win a federal seat this year, though?

Zann did run unsuccessfully for NSNDP leader in 2016. Maybe she feels unappreciated as a backbench MLA in a provincial third party and wants to try something different.

Also do you really think the things she would be required to support as part of a Trudeau-led Liberal party are that different than the things she would have supported as a member of Darrell Dexter's provincial NDP government from 2009-13?

Tue, 2019-06-11 16:56

#12

Debater

Indeed, robbie dee.

And the Federal NDP had no problem choosing Tom Mulcair as its leader, even though he had been a Quebec Liberal MNA and a member of the conservative-leaning Jean Charest government.

Tue, 2021-10-19 01:52

#13

jerrym

Lenore Zann as a floor crosser did better than many who chose this path in winning her first election after crossing the floor. But of those who this and succeed in winning one election, most don't succeed in a second election. Zann lost in September Winston Churchill, who in referring to his own crossing from the floor from the Conservatives to the Liberals, then back to the Liberals, famously said "Anyone can rat, but it takes a certain amount of ingenuity to re-rat." (https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780191843730.001.000...)