自由党会在当谷北区指定候选人？

继谭耕宣布退选自由党议员后，当谷北区展开了一场激烈的党内提名赛。该选区目前有几名华裔社区参赛者报名角逐自由党提名。

Geng Tan's decision of not to seek re-election for the Liberal MP has led to a hotly contested nomination race in Don Valley North. Several contestants from the Chinese community have registered as candidates for the nomination race in the riding.



然而，就在提名赛即将进入最后阶段之际，自由党突然宣布该选区进入“选举紧急状态”。处于“选举紧急状态”的选区的提名赛可不按自由党选举标准程序进行，而来自党部高层的这一决定实际上是为其“看中”的候选人轻易获得提名而铺平道路。

However, as the candidates' campaign was about to its final stage, the Liberal Party of Canada has declared the Don Valley North riding in the state of "electoral urgency." The declaration, which allows the party's leadership to bypass the standard nomination procedure, would pave the way for the party's preferred candidate to get nominated. 

2014年，在国会议员邹至蕙辞职而角逐市长之后，自由党曾宣布Trinity Spadina选区进入“选举紧急状态”。自由党的这一决定是为确保其一贯看好的明星候选人亚当•沃恩（Adam Vaughan）能获得提名。在两名候选人宣布退出后，沃恩轻而易举地拿下提名赛。退出提名赛的候选人之一Ryan Davey当时声称该党创造了一个有利于沃恩的不公平竞争环境。 “这个提名过程其实就是赤裸裸的任命。”他说。

In 2014, the Liberal Party declared Trinity Spadina riding in a state of electoral urgency after a seat left vacant by Olivia Chow, who stepped down as the riding MP to run for Toronto Mayor. The party made the declaration to ensure the nomination of the Liberals' star candidate Adam Vaughan – who has been courted by the Liberals' for months. Vaughan easily won the nomination battle after two candidates withdrew the race. Ryan Davey, one of the candidates who quit the race, alleged that the party had created an unfair competition environment that was in favor of Vaughan. "This nomination process has been a de facto appointment," said he.



有盛传称自由党宣布当谷北选区进入“选举紧急状态”，旨在任命前自由党议员大卫•卡普兰为该选区的联邦候选人。据报道，在卡普兰不幸离世后，该党正在考虑任命另一位候选人。自由党总部在给《大中报》的电子邮件中既没有否认也没有证实这一传言。

Rumors are floating around that the Liberals, which declared the riding an electoral urgency, intended to appoint David Caplan, a former Liberal MPP, as the federal nominee for Don Valley North. The party is reportedly considering appointing another candidate after Caplan's tragic death. The Liberal Party of Canada neither denied nor confirmed the rumor in its email to Chinese News.

自由党总部的电邮表示：“许多才华横溢的社区领袖们都向党总部表示他们有意愿成为当谷北区的自由党国会议员候选人……此次提名竞选将突出特鲁多的制造就业机会，强化中产阶层力量，改善安省居民生活的宗旨。”

 "The Liberal Party of Canada is being approached by a variety of talented community leaders interested in becoming the Team Trudeau candidate in Don Valley North…Liberal candidates and campaigns will be highlighting Justin Trudeau's positive plan to create jobs, strengthen the middle class, and make life better for Ontario families," read the email.



然而，自由党的联邦候选人应能反应选区的多元化（少数族裔和女性的）人口特征及其包容性，毕竟“多元”和“包容”是自由党长期以来一项自我吹嘘的党略优势。近期一项研究则对任命候选人的做法发起了猛烈抨击。

However, the Liberal nominee should also reflect the riding's demographic diversity (women and minority) and inclusiveness – a mantra chanted as liberal party's strength. The practice of appointing candidates has sparked a backlash from a recent study.

总部设在多伦多的萨马拉民主中心的新研究表明，党派候选人通过任命而非竞选获得提名的趋势越来越明显。据统计，在过去五次联邦选举中，只有17％的候选人是通过竞争性提名赛而胜出。该研究还特别指出，党部指定的候选人往往很少是女性，少数族裔或土著居民。

New research by the Toronto-based Samara Centre for Democracy reveals a growing trend that party candidates get nominated through appointment and without a contest. Statistically, just 17% of candidates won a competitive nomination race in the past five federal elections. In particular, the study suggests appointed candidates were less likely to be a woman, from visible-minority or Indigenous backgrounds.



任命候选人提名的做法不仅缺乏竞争性和透明度，同时对那些积极开展基层竞选活动的候选人也不公。当时自由党遭到为了让沃恩获得提名而在竞选程序中弄虚作假的指控，这让特鲁多名声大打折扣。

Appointing candidate for a party nominee not only lacks transparency and competitiveness but is also incredibly unfair for other candidates who are running an active grassroots campaign. The accusation of "stacking the deck" to get Vaughan nominated had left Trudeau's credibility under fire. 

萨马拉的研究主管迈克尔•莫登表示，选民有权关注政党内部事宜。但他表示，大多数加拿大人几乎没有机会和可能了解党派提名的这一黑箱操作,这会给推进加国民主进程带来严重后果。

Voters do have a stake in how the party runs their internal affairs, said Michael Morden, the director of research at Samara. But he said most Canadians have little access to or ability to scrutinize the "black box" of party nominations, which has profound consequences for Canadian democracy. 



目前，在被宣布为进入“竞选紧急状态”的当谷北区，几位候选人正在开展积极而成功的竞选活动，通过社交媒体和走访选民而带动这一多元文化选区的民主激情。许多选民对这一健康的选举程序赞赏不已。

Currently, in Don Valley North – the riding declared “electoral urgency,” several candidates are running a very active and successful campaign by engaging voters in this multicultural community through social media and door-to-door canvassing. Many voters are supportive of this healthy, democratic practice.