Underwitting Himself

"Appropriate notices have been served on the parties who have been disseminating those falsehoods and I'm pursuing them."
"I put people on notice to tell them you better start telling the truth because, if you expect to be the next leader of the opposition or something else, I think we should be accurate and honest and stop leaking falsehoods to the press and others."
David Bertschi, former Liberal candidate for Ottawa-Orleans riding

THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods   David Bertschi takes part in a Liberal leadership debate in Winnipeg, on February 2, 2013. Bertschi was he won't be allowed to seek the Liberal nomination in Ottawa-Orleans.

So, from promises that as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, democratic verities would be recognized, honoured and practised the realities emerge otherwise. Beginning with respect for communities and riding associations believing it is up to them to nominate those deserving candidates they would prefer to send to the House of Commons during a federal election. Not some hand-picked candidate favoured by the party leader himself, and parachuted into the community.

So often do the stated good intentions of individuals seeking public support go awry when politics rears its often-ugly head and promises and ethics take flight. Liberal leader Justin Trudeau has a favoured candidate, former General Andrew Leslie, who has been appointed to Mr. Trudeau's foreign affairs advisory committee, who happens not to live in the riding, where lawyer David Berschi does, so the Liberal nominating committee 'disqualified' Mr. Bertschi in favour of Mr. Leslie.

Perhaps part of the problem here is that Mr. Bertschi once had the gall to challenge Justin Trudeau for the leadership of the Liberal Party and lost to him because his name is Bertschi, not Trudeau, though he is young and handsome enough and it doesn't take much to out-intelligence Mr. Trudeau. So reasons were cooked up whereby Mr. Bertschi's qualifications were rescinded. By no means is this the first nomination for a riding that has proven controversial under Mr. Trudeau's leadership.

Mr. Bertschi has launched a libel notice against the party and its leader for defamation of character in requiring a reason to disqualify him from running in the riding and leave the way clear to bring in Mr. Leslie. Mr. Bertschi takes issue with Liberal Leader Trudeau who had pledged to permit open nominations in all federal ridings. And nor is he the only one aspiring to be nominated who was similarly disappointed by the interference of the party and its leader.

A defamation action relating to another nomination controversy in the Toronto riding of Trinity-Spadina was launched by Christine Innes over a missive in which her campaign was accused of unsavoury tactics, resulting in a denial of her right to seek the candidacy in question. Or for that matter nomination in any riding for the Liberals. And then, surprise, a more favoured candidate, one of Mr. Trudeau's economic advisers, Chrystia Freeland, was acclaimed the candidate.

Justin Trudeau's decision-making certainly leaves much room for doubt that he is mature enough, intelligent enough, sensible enough to be entrusted with the affairs of the nation. From his decision to de-link Liberal Senators from his party's caucus, to his dismissing two Liberal MPs on the basis of uncorroborated charges of unwanted sexual advances toward two NDP MPs who refuse to come forward and press charges, to his many dim-witted utterances, doubts loom about his character and potential.

In the contest between a seasoned, sensible and highly intelligent incumbent and a rookie wanna-be the contrasts are huge and of no benefit whatever to Mr. Trudeau's future aspirations. Let alone to the future of Canada.