Greetings

I thought you'd be interested in the recent media coverage (approaching feeding frenzy) about David Orchard and his supporters role in the PC Party of Canada (where David ran for the leadership position in '98, placing second to Joe Clark.)

There are three items here, the first one from the Sun Newspapers, which appear in different cities in the country. To call it "silly", would be too kind!

Friday, August 2, 2002

Tory brass suspect coup at convention
By STEPHANIE RUBEC, OTTAWA BUREAU

OTTAWA -- High-ranking Tories are accusing leader Joe Clark of getting into bed with a socialist nemesis they fear is orchestrating a coup at the party's national convention this month.

Tories working to oust Clark fear David Orchard, an anti-free trade activist, is attempting to take over the Conservative party and transform it into a socialist one.

High-ranking Tories estimate Orchard has about 250 followers attending the convention, all of whom have been instructed to vote for Clark in the confidence vote.

But that's not enough support to guarantee the 50% plus one vote needed to avoid a leadership race. Clark has not said what level of support he requires to stay on as leader.

Orchard first surfaced at the 1999 Tory convention in which he ran against Clark for leader and garnered enough support to force a second ballot.

He has since thrown his support behind Clark, surprising many within the party.

"A lot of Tories are very angry at the pact," said a former Clark supporter who is now working to oust him. "Without David Orchard, Joe Clark would be dead."

Tory President Bruck Easton dismissed concerns about Orchard, noting he's been involved in the party for about five years and shares similar views on the environment and agriculture. THE END


"Tory brass suspect coup at convention"
http://www.canoe.ca/TorontoNews/ts.ts-08-02-0037.html "Leftist Tory coup feared"
http://www.canoe.ca/WinnipegNews/ws.ws-08-02-0033.html "Clark backer raises Tory eyebrows"
http://www.canoe.ca/EdmontonNews/es.es-08-02-0045.html


A day later, this second one appears in today's National Post, with more dire warnings about Orchard and his supporters taking over the PC Party, by hook or by crook... Particularly annoying and misleading is the reference to Orchard supporters as "single issue activists" (as if the sovereignty of a country is a "single issue!) and "well financed" (I wish, I wish! ), when the absolute opposite is true: shoe-string operation all the way. (Your donations are always welcome! See mailing address below for the David Orchard Campaign for Canada.)


National Post, August 3, 2002

Federal Tory leadership:

ACTIVIST POISED TO WIN LEADERSHIP, MP WARNS HAZARDS OF OUSTING CLARK

by Bill Curry

OTTAWA A Tories eager to topple Joe Clark at this month‚s leadership review in Edmonton should be careful what they wish for, warns Scott Brison, a Tory MP and Clark supporter, who says anti-globalization advocate David Orchard could end up taking over the party if the leader is ousted.

Mr. Brison has been telling party members that with the party‚s total membership down to 10,000 people, Mr. Orchard could use the support he has among left-leaning interest groups, as well as his own political organization, to win a leadership convention.

„In the last leadership race, David Orchard came in second and shocked the bejesus out of a lot of people in our party. Right now, David Orchard has a national organization of latent members. These are people who aren't‚ members right now, but at the drop of a hat, would become members,‰ he said, citing supporters of the Council of Canadians and the Sierra Club as examples. Spokespersons for both groups say they don‚t support political parties, but John Bennett of the Sierra Club did say Mr. Orchard‚s policies mesh with those of his organization.

„When he ran for the leadership a few years back, he did support a number of issues that we would have been in agreement with,‰ he said. „We have lots of members and every member is an individual.‰

Some Tory insiders say Mr. Brison‚s comments are a desperate attempt by the pro-Clark team to dissuade delegates from voting against the leader, but Mr. Brison said the theory is his own.

„Do the math and look at what happened last time,‰ he said. „We‚ve got to give our collective heads a shake and realize that this is not a far-fetched notion at all and it‚s certainly not a scare tactic. It‚s a combination of the disciplines of arithmetic and political organization and David Orchard has a well-financed network of activists, many of whom are single-issue... [and] can be mobilized very, very quickly. He demonstrated his ability to do that last time. He would have an even easier time to do it now,‰ he said.

Mr. Orchard has a campaign-style Web site titled „David Orchard Campaign for Canada‰ that criticizes the Canada-U.S. free-trade agreement. he is also an organic farmer who promotes environmental issues and opposes genetically modified foods.

„He and I are on polar opposites on some pretty fundamental issues involving economic policy,‰ Mr. Brison said.

But Mr. Orchard said he‚s not an extremist.

„I think only a moderate, mainstream party will each the hearts and minds of Canadians,‰ he said, adding that he‚s supporting Mr. Clark because „I don‚t see a great appetite in the mainstream of the party to push people out.‰

As for whether he will run for the leadership again when Mr. Clark is gone, he said: „That‚s purely a hypothetical question.‰

Tories are asking themselves why Mr. Orchard has decided to support Mr. Clark during the leadership review vote at the Tory convention in Edmonton, Aug. 22-25.

Ariane Eckardt, the Tory riding president for Burnaby-Douglas, B.C., said she suspects Mr. Orchard is hoping the party will continue to weaken under Mr. Clark and will be easier to take over at a later date. „If Mr. Orchard wants to take over the PC Party, surely the time is now,‰ she said. Ms. Eckardt disagrees with Mr. Orchard‚s policies, and has been getting delegates elected to the convention to sign a letter asking Mr. Clark to resign before Aug. 22.

Ms. Eckardt says a group of like minded organizers plans to present the letter and signatures to the leader this week. Those involved with the letter say the vote will be close, but Mr. Clark will still likely win because of support from Mr. Orchard‚s organization, who they estimate will make up almost a quarter of the 1,300 delegates.

„Without Orchard, Clark‚s toast,‰ said another Tory involved with the letter.

Eric Ferguson, the president of the Tory riding association of Fredericton, N.B. who was an MP during Mr. Clark‚s short-lived government from 1979 to 1980, predicted 75% of delegates from his province will be voting against Mr. Clark. He also dismissed Mr. Brison‚s warnings about Mr. Orchard, pointing out that when the leadership of the New Brunswick Tory party opened up a few years ago, many strong candidates came out of the woodwork.

„We‚d never heard tell of Bernard Lord before then,‰ he said. THE END

National Post
bcurry@nationalpost.com


===
Here is the third, earlier article, which makes it clear what David has been saying all along, that he is not among those who are trying to push and shove Joe Clark out.

The Globe and Mail, July 5, 2002

ORCHARD TO BACK CLARK AT TORY CONVENTION

By Brian Laghi, Ottawa

David Orchard, the free-trade critic and former federal Tory leadership candidate, privately told Joe Clark that he‚ll support him next month when the party rules on Mr. Clark‚s performance.

Mr. Orchard made the commitment at a meeting two weeks ago. Some Tories have expressed concern that Mr. Orchard still wants the job he lost to Mr. Clark in 1998.

From 200 to 300 of Mr. Orchard‚s supporters plan to attend the party‚s convention in Edmonton, leaving some Conservatives wondering whether Mr. Orchard planned to use his troops to vote against Mr. Clark to try to force a leadership convention.

In an interview, Mr. Orchard confirmed that he called Mr. Clark two weeks ago to set up a meeting. where he assured the leader of his backing.

„Mr. Clark is providing stable, proven leadership,‰ Mr. Orchard said. „It‚s exactly what the party needs. I don‚t think this is the time to be forcing the party through a divisive leadership review, and so I‚ll be voting accordingly.‰

Mr. Orchard would not say how his supporters would vote. He confirmed that there would be 200 to 300 of them at the convention, or 15 to 20 per cent of the 1,250 delegates the Tories expect.

Many members of the Tory rank and file have said that Mr. Orchard is not a true progressive conservative because of his criticism of free trade, a deal put together by former prime minister Brian Mulroney. Some are distrustful of his motives and have expressed concern that he wants to take over the party.

Mr. Orchard‚s troops intend to flex their muscles at the convention by opposing any movement to cooperate with the Canadian Alliance in the next election. The party also plans to discuss the issue of Canadian sovereignty, a key policy matter for Mr. Orchard.

„I think most Canadians want to see our country become [stronger] on the world stage, rather than become weaker in terms of our own independent voice,‰ he said.

Rick Perkins, a senior Tory who wants the rift healed within the small-c conservative movement, said Mr. orchard probably opposes Tory co-operation within the Alliance because it would dilute Mr. Orchard‚s influence within his party.

Mr. Perkins also argued that Mr. Orchard‚s delegates could easily tip the scales in favour of those who want to maintain a party policy requiring the Tories to run candidates in all federal ridings, thereby crushing any possibility of Alliance-Tory candidates in selected constituencies.

„David Orchard is a party member, and the party establishment has accepted him,‰ Mr. Perkins said.

„Do I agree with anything he says? No.‰

Marjaleena Repo, an Orchard supporter and president of a PC riding association in Saskatchewan said that Orchard supporters and many other party members don‚t want the Tories to join with the Alliance because it would position the Tory party closer to the United States. The Liberals have become too cozy with that country, she said, and Canada needs a party that will stand up for this country.

„It would be horrible,‰ Ms. Repo said of a merger. „We would have two continentalist parties left in this country.‰ THE END



======================================================== David Orchard Campaign for Canada
P.O. Box 1983, Saskatoon, SKJ, S7K 3S5
tel: (306)664-8443 fax; (306)244-3790
ccaftnat@sk.sympatico.ca
davidorchard@sasktel.net
website: www.davidorchard.com
========================================================