Ask a Liberal Bigwig

-- OTTAWA -- The fierce squabble over Martin Cauchon's political comeback is symptomatic of a party that has lost sight of the most basic tenets of democracy, says a former national director of the Liberal party.

"We've turned into one big appointment society," Sheila Gervais told The Canadian Press. She pointed out that Ignatieff himself was not elected as leader. He was installed without a contest last December at the behest of party brass and Liberal MPs.

Most of those MPs, Gervais said, have been appointed themselves or protected for years from having to face democratic nomination challenges.

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