NORTHWEST TERRITORIES

Disgruntled members of the territorial Conservative association plan to appeal the appointment of Sandy Lee as the Western Arctic candidate in the May 2 federal election.

Sandy Lee: Says she joined Conservatives because of lack of Liberal focus on North Ray Decorby: Developer unhappy no vote held for Conservative candidate Alex Debogorski: Ice road trucker may run as independent against Lee

There is also talk of seeking a non-confidence vote against the association's executive for going against the wishes of its members.

Sources within the association told Yellowknifer Monday morning that some members are aiming to remove association President Doug Witty and chief executive officer Bill Aho. The sources said members passed a resolution during an emergency meeting on March 24 to hold a vote Monday, choosing between Lee and former Hay River mayor and MLA John Pollard. However, because of an ad in Yellowknifer last Wednesday stating nominations were closed by 5 p.m. that day, the executive deemed Pollard's nomination invalid as it came after the deadline.

What has members angry is the national party had earlier deemed the ad in the newspaper an invalid closure of the nomination period, and Pollard's nomination papers therefore should be valid because the process was never properly closed.

But in an e-mail to Conservative members on Sunday evening, Witty said the national party had anointed Lee.

"It's been an absolute disaster from top to bottom," one source said, adding a number of party members in the territory are looking into the appeal process to the national party over Lee's appointment. "The board (is) up in arms. The executive is working against its own members.

"Members are running for the exits."

Lee, who resigned her position as Health minister and MLA for Range Lake on Saturday, is running for the Conservatives after years of support for the Liberal Party in the territory. In the 2006 election race, Lee worked as then-Liberal candidate Ethel Blondin-Andrew's campaign manager and was rumoured to be a possible candidate for the 2008 federal election. Lee also shows up on Blondin-Andrew's contributors list from 2000, having donated $500 in support of the long-time Liberal MP.

Lee said Monday her decision to run as a Conservative comes from being a disillusioned member of the Liberal party due to that party's lack of interest and vision in the North.

"I've seen more and more over the last three years ... that we really need a strong partner with the federal government to move our priorities forward," she said. "I'm a new generation of the Conservative Party members. I'm one of the many disillusioned members of the Liberal Party. It does not have the kind of vision and focus that PM Harper has shown to the North."

In e-mails obtained by Yellowknifer, Ray Decorby, owner of Polar Developments and a board member of the association, Decorby voiced his displeasure with the selection process. Witty responded by writing, "If you don't like the results, you don't get to personally run a campaign to undermine the association. Your actions in this matter are not going to help us win an election."

In a document attached to the e-mail exchange, titled Rationale For Board Meeting and Feedback to National, Lona Hegeman, another member of the association, wrote, "many (the majority) of members on the board are increasingly convinced their concerns and the concerns they convey from the NWT voting public were not being relayed accurately to National," which she said is creating much of the party members anger toward Lee's selection. Hegeman added she thinks it would be best to remove Witty an Aho after the election.

When asked about the divide among Conservatives in the North over her candidacy, Lee said she has spoken to Conservatives in Yellowknife and she feels she has the support.

"They see my track record, and I represent lots of people and speak to small community people, and I'm well known, and I've been a member (of the legislative assembly) for 12 years," she said. "They know I would be a very credible and viable candidate."

Alex Debogorski said Monday he has been asked to run as an independent in the May 2 election to give Conservative-leaning residents another option if they don't like Lee. Debogorski, a long-time Conservative, said he is concerned the party is running a known Liberal as its candidate.

"If she gets elected she's going to do some damage to the party," he said, adding he hasn't decided if he's going to run yet or not.

"I wasn't thinking about it, but it might be a possibility. If I was going to run it would be more of a Jesse Ventura-type campaign," he said, referring to the former professional wrestler and actor who became governor of Minnesota.

Lee will be campaigning against incumbent Dennis Bevington with the NDP, Liberal Joe Handley and Green Party candidate Eli Purchase.

Witty, Hegeman, Decorby and Pollard all declined to comment on the e-mails or any questions regarding the controversy within the party.