Displeased in BC with Volpe
I want to commend Jason Walker, Riding Association President for Esquimalt - Juan de Fuca, for challenging Joe Volpe on his kiddie donations.
At the BC Federal Liberal Council, held this weekend in Victoria, BC, Joe Volpe addressed the crowd and took questions. In one of his speeches, Volpe claimed to have inspired three grade schoolers to donate thousands of dollars to his leadership campaign.
Frustrated with the spin, excuses and bullshit, Mr. Walker, an adjunct assistant professor with the University of Victoria's school of child and youth care, challenged him on this and when his questions were more spin, excuses and bullshit, Walker walked out.
While on his way, Walker claims to have been "hassled" by one of Mr. Volpe's supporters - whom others identified as being the candidate's national campaign coordinator Jim Karygiannis. In an interview with Public Eye Online, Walker mentioned that , "[Karygiannis] was very angry. He was angry that I raised the issue. He was asking for evidence. And my response was this is about children and it is not open for debate. It involves children. It is wrong. And this is not what our party's about. And we need to step up and take responsibility. And, as a president, I don't expect to be harassed on my way out of a meeting by an observer."
Kudos to Walker for staying firm in his beliefs and demanding more from a leadership candidate. The Party is in a position where it can't take any more scandals. Not only is our public image at stake, but so is our own morale. We all need to rise to the occasion to ensure the integrity of our Party.