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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Friday November 17, 2006 - 3 Halton Conservatives will have to pick a new candidate Continued from page 1 sion. He said the letter stated it was an "internal matter" and provide no other reasons for the decision. That is not fair to voters of Halton, he said, adding that he's established his own independent board of directors, with 11 members so far, which met for the first time Tuesday night. Turner -- happy with the way things have been going as a breakaway MP -- said it's "atrocious" that "unaccountable" party officials are deciding the voting process. "I think it is a very, very poor decision; It's something the voters of Halton should be deciding. There are a lot of angry people locally, who feel that was a decision that should never have been taken away from them." Turner's Halton riding includes Oakville voters residing north of Upper Middle Road. Patric Whyte, the Halton Tory riding association president, said the Turner issue has is divisive, causing "slight upheaval." He stressed the decision didn't come from the local party but rather higher up as per rules and procedures for candidate nominations. "The final say basically comes from the national council," he said. Although not a requirement, Whyte said he is upset the association wasn't consulted in some capacity about the Turner decision. He hoped there could have been some way to repair the split between the former Tory MP and the Conservative party. "We're not happy with the decision but it's a decision that was made that we have to live with," said Whyte. He has told the national office of the "disappointment"" of the process. "I'm president of the association that has to get a Conservative candidate in Halton," said Whyte. The association has 600-700 cardcarrying members. "I think it is a very, very poor decision; It's something the voters of Halton should be deciding. There are a lot of angry people locally, who feel that was a decision that should never have been taken away from them." Halton MP Garth Turner A monthly association meeting was held Tuesday night at which time three members of the executive quit, with potentially two leaving to work for Turner, Whyte said. The meeting, attended by around 20 people, saw some express frustration but was mostly cordial, he said. "Overall I thought it was a good meeting." Whyte said he likes Turner, but isn't surprised at the move to block the former federal Cabinet minister from running again under the Conservative banner. "If you read Mr. Turner's blog you'll understand (and) I'm not going to go beyond that. I don't want to say anything bad about Garth. I like Garth. I have no problems with him as an individual. "I think both parties are to blame for the situation. I think they both got into a situation they dug in perhaps unnecessarily, and too soon, and as result of that positions got polarized." As a result, the association is looking for another candidate after Turner was acclaimed in September following a controversial run-up to the nomination. Whyte said a number of things need to be done including establishing a nominating committee, possibly next month. A nomination meeting could he held as early as mid-January. "What we do now is go through the process all over again," he said. During a press conference in Ottawa Tuesday, Turner said he will introduce a private member's bill seeking equal treatment in the House of Commons and under the Canada Elections Act for Independents. He said they should be able to sit on committees and raise campaign money by issuing tax receipts along with other MPs. Turner, who served as a cabinet minister during a previous run as a Tory MP, has faced intense heat in the last couple of months. In September Turner was acclaimed as the local Conservative candidate for the next federal election when his potential contender decided not to run. The verdict had put to rest the controversy that swirled around the Defend Marriage Coalition -- a group that has vowed to try to overthrow MPs who favour same-sex marriage --encouraging past nomination candidate D'Arcy Keene to contest Turner for the spot. In late October, Turner was suspended from the Conservative caucus for allegedly revealing caucus goingson via the Internet. Turner said the last two months have been "one heck of a roller coaster" but that won't stop him or his blog, which has garnered so much attention. "It is the communications vehicle of the 21st Century," he said. SAFE · CONVENIENT · SELF-STORAGE · 24 Hr Convenient Access · Open 7 Days per Week QEW Syscon Rd. Burlington North Service Rd. South Service Rd. 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