Former deputy prime minister Sheila Copps accused Prime Minister Paul Martin Thursday of squeezing her out of federal politics, charging that his senior organizers have rigged the rules to stop her from winning the Liberal nomination in her riding.
The bitter fight for the Hamilton East-Stoney Creek nomination between Ms. Copps and Transport Minister Tony Valeri broke into a loud, nasty and public war Thursday, the day after she publicly flirted with running for the New Democratic Party.
"[The Liberal Party] is like a family. I don't want to leave my family, and it's not a decision that I take lightly. But at the end of the day if I've got the deck stacked against me, I may be left with no choice," she said.
Ms. Copps accused Mr. Martin's most senior organizers of directing a cabal against her, and named Ontario campaign chair Karl Littler, national campaign co-chair David Herle, and national party president Michael Eizenga, who she accused of organizing an effort to ensure she loses the nomination. Source.
