Internal Corruption and Destruction of Labour

For class conscious voters, New Democratic Party (NDP) aka Canadian labour party was the only source of hope for democracy. However, the hope was shattered through executive committee of the British Columbia (BC) NDP party decision to disqualify a candidate recommended by its members. The radical decision of NDP executive reflected the true disconnection between the interest of working people and the party leadership ambitions.

The B.C. NDP’s provincial executive council voted to disqualify Anjali Appadurai from the party’s leadership race last night, against strong objections from party members and elected NDP representatives across the province and country who called on the party to let her run.

The party’s decision paves the way for former attorney general and minister responsible for housing David Eby to assume the party leadership — and premiership — unopposed.

The B.C. NDP announced the decision late last night, after refusing to allow Appadurai to state her case before the executive council.

The ruling followed a recommendation, leaked to the press on Tuesday night, from the chief electoral officer (CEO) tasked with running the B.C. NDP leadership contest and investigating allegations of wrongdoing by Appadurai’s campaign.

Responding to the CEO’s leaked report, Appadurai said that the CEO, Elizabeth Cull, changed the rules of the leadership race mid-campaign and applied them retroactively. Cull applied the new rules to a virtual event that predated the official launch of Appadurai’s campaign, Appadurai said.

Report by Alex Cosh for The Maple. Full report