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Chairman of Bob Rae's B.C. campaign resigns
CanWest News Service
Published: Saturday, October 07, 2006
OTTAWA -- The federal Liberal party, which is trying to rebuild its battered image after the sponsorship scandal helped drive the party from power in January, suffered another setback Friday when the B.C. chairman for leadership contender Bob Rae was forced to resign from the campaign.
Mason Loh stepped down due to "significant irregularities," said Rae campaign spokesman Bryan Baynham.
Baynham, a Vancouver lawyer, said at least three dozen -- and perhaps more than 100 -- delegate application forms were signed by "over enthusiastic volunteers" from Loh's network rather than by actual applicants who had agreed to stand forward as delegates.
There was a concern the signatures didn't always reflect the people who filled out the forms."
Those delegates' applications will be nullified and those who were selected during last month's so-called Super Weekend selection process will no longer be able to attend the Montreal convention in December, Baynam said.
However, he said he expects other Rae supporters who put forward their names as potential delegates using valid application forms will be able to fill those slots. Baynham said the volunteers' actions shouldn't be viewed as forging or faking signatures because the volunteers weren't deliberately breaking rules.
"It shouldn't have happened but I haven't seen evidence that somebody did this fraudulently," he said.
It is the second ethical controversy to erupt in recent weeks. The Liberal party imposed a $20,000 fine on the campaign candidate Joe Volpe in late September after it was alleged his campaign was paying the fee for some new party members.
Loh wouldn't discuss his resignation when contacted by cellphone Friday.
Vancouver Sun
Sounds more like fraud or forgery, when delegate application forms were signed by "over enthusiastic volunteers".
source