[RCO]

Ex-NDP candidate Lorincz pulls out of party politics

By STEPHEN MAHER Ottawa Bureau
Sat. Nov 28 - 4:46 AM


Tamara Lorincz of the Halifax Peace Coailition confronts police outside a security forum at a downtown hotel in Halifax on Nov. 21. Ms. Lorincz has announced she will not run for the NDP again. (PETER PARSONS / Staff)


OTTAWA — Former Halifax West NDP candidate Tamara Lorincz has left the party because it is not strongly enough antiwar, according to a message on her own website and on the riding association's site.

In a letter to family, friends and supporters dated November 2009, Ms. Lorincz announces that she will not run for the party again.

"I must let you know that I am not seeking the nomination to run for the NDP in the riding of Halifax West in the next federal election and am not going to remain a member of the NDP or become a member of any political party, because I have realized that I personally can’t work within a party for social and environmental change," she wrote.

"I do believe we need good people in political parties and all sectors of society to help bring about change — my place is outside of a political party."

Ms. Lorincz ran against incumbent Liberal Geoff Regan in 2008, winning 12,205 votes, about 5,000 fewer than Mr. Regan.

During the campaign, she was attacked by Defence Minister Peter MacKay after she shouted at uniformed soldiers entering a trade show for defence contractors.

Mr. MacKay called for NDP Leader Jack Layton to pull her nomination papers, which he did not do.

Ms. Lorincz wrote on her website — www.tamaralorincz.ca — that the party did not support her.

"I must also share with you that I knew that I did not have full support from the NDP federally and provincially because of my outspoken opposition to Canada’s war in Afghanistan and my objection to the troubling rise of militarism in our country and the growth of weapons manufacturers like Lockheed Martin in our province," she wrote.

She complained that Premier Darrell Dexter gave a speech in September praising Lockheed Martin, which has received financial support from the province for its Dartmouth facility.

It employs more than 80 people, working on upgrades to Canada’s naval frigates.

"This war profiteering is crippling our economy and bankrupting us morally," writes Ms. Lorincz.

Thursday night, Mr. Layton attended the nomination meeting for Gregor Ash, executive director of the Atlantic Film Festival, who will carry the NDP banner in the next election.

Karl Belanger, a spokesman for Mr. Layton, says the party wishes Ms. Lorincz well.

"Politics is a tough environment which not everyone thrives in," he said. "We wish Ms. Lorincz good luck with her future projects and thank her for the role she played in the last election. Moving forward, we are excited about the nomination of Gregor Ash in Halifax West (Thursday), and we are quite happy that he will carry the New Democrat banner in the next election."


http://thechronicleherald.ca/N.....55065.html


( this article is almost worth a laugh that the party is not anti war enough for her , she must of been pretty left wing )

[potan]

The left-wing extremists just get nuttier every day.

[DFP]

extremism is not really an appropriate term


like, you wouldn't say: I'M FOR PEACE TO THE MAXIMUM EXTREME


would you?


You might hear it from the war-mongerers who are a couple nuts shy of an oak tree, but not the peace groupies.

yeah call them groupies

[Mac]

[IanM]

With an anti war stance like her's, I'm surprised she wasn't run out of town on a rail.

I mean its Halifax, there you have; Maritime Forces Atlantic, 12 Wing, Land Forces Atlantic Area, 4 Operational Support Group, 36 Brigade Group, CFB Halifax, and HMCS Dockyard....all you have to do is drive through downtown Halifax and its all military facilities. Not to mention all of the contractors and other organizations that support them, and the spin off jobs, which are huge.

Halifax is not Toronto, I think that Halifax has a much larger military presence than Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Quebec City, Montreal, Saint John's......not really the place to run as an Anti War candidate, especially since the military brings in tonnes of jobs and well paying ones at that. The same with Keane, CGI, HP Enterprise Services, all those nice outsourced IT jobs.....

However, good on her to stand on principle, and fall on her sword in such away. I may not agree with it, but hey, at least she has conviction, I will give her that.

[Mac]