Supporters of Paul Martin are moving to purge the Liberal Party of those who failed to support the prime minister-designate in his leadership bid, insiders say. One brewing battle involves former Martin leadership rival Sheila Copps.

Copps, who was in the end the only serious challenger to Martin in his long struggle to win the Liberal Party's top job, is vowing she'll keep her riding's nomination despite a challenge from a Martin backbencher.

Part of Copps' Hamilton, Ont. riding is being merged with neighbouring Stoney Creek. That riding's MP -- Martin backbencher Tony Valeri -- is challenging Copps for the nomination.

"I think it would have been much easier if he'd stayed in his own riding, but if he's coming on ... I didn't start the fight, but I intend to finish it," Copps said.

Valeri maintains he has as much of a claim on the new riding as Copps and he could have the upper hand. It's expected Valeri will get a cabinet post in the new Martin government, while it's pretty much certain that Copps won't.

Copps, the current heritage minister, may be just one of many Liberals being targetted in their home ridings by challengers vying for local nominations at pre-election meetings expected early next year, according to party sources.

The movement to purge the party reportedly took hold right after Martin won the Liberal leadership last month. It was then that he announced and end to the practice of protecting sitting MPs -- part of an effort to address the so-called democratic deficit.

A Martin aide has flatly denied the charges of a purge.

"No MP has been targeted to have their nomination contested," said Scott Reid. "Neither Mr. Martin nor supporters have encouraged anyone to contest any sitting member of Parliament for their nomination."

But, Ontario MP John Bryden says he's the victim of a "co-ordinated and determined effort" because he remained neutral in the leadership race.

"This is the Liberal establishment trying to make sure that absolute Martin loyalists are in place ... I haven't sufficiently passed the Martin loyalty test."

Bryden said he was told of a movement to push him out by the same local organizers who backed Martin's leadership bid.

One potential challenger even came forward and told of being solicited by pro-Martin organizers to take him out in the upcoming nomination meeting, Bryden said.

Sources say at least two dozen MPs claim they've been targeted by the Martin camp.

Martin has promised a different approach as part of his goal to re-energize the party and get MPs hustling to sell memberships with a spring election looming.

He has promised to make the party more democratic and says open nominations are one way of doing that.

But one top-level Quebec organizer said open nominations are a form of political vengeance cloaked as democratic reform.

"It's a manoeuvre to eliminate people," said the organizer, who asked not to be named.

"The current method is to simply send a clear message to certain people along the lines of, 'Sorry but we're not happy you're there. So we're putting someone against you.'

The list of such MPs is growing.

Sources in Ontario say they're already aware of challengers to: Indian Affairs Minister Robert Nault, and MPs Charles Caccia, Paul Szabo, Beth Phinney, Paddy Torsney, Jean Augustine, Sarmite Bulte, Bonnie Brown, Marlene Catterall, Carolyn Parrish, Maria Minna, Karen Redman and Rose-Marie Ur.

The vast majority were Chretien loyalists.