I caught the tail end of the Peter Mansbridge/Keith Boag segment on the National this evening and Keith Boag is reporting that Churchill MP Bev Desjarlias has lost the NDP nomination for her riding in the next election. This is probably due to her vote against the same-sex marriage legislation.
It was reported that she will run as an independent n the next election and will sit as an indepedent as soon as tomorrow. That brings the independent total up to four with one vacancy (which the Liberals are in no hurry to call a by-election on - funny how when it was a seat in Newfoundland and Labrador the by-election was called immediately). I wonder if that makes the math more tough for the Liberals or if MP Desjarlais will continue to vote with the NDP.
Instant Update: Courtesy of Bourque Newswatch comes this CBC link.
...Bev Desjarlais, who has been the MP for Churchill since 1997, was the only NDP member to vote against the same-sex marriage bill earlier this year. She told CBC News she expected her nomination to be challenged, and she plans to run again as an independent.
"It's cost me in the sense of there was a challenge and I lost the nomination. It hasn't cost me in the sense of feeling comfortable in where I am on making a conscience decision," she told CBC News.
"Hopefully the people in the Churchill riding will recognize that they have an MP who will stick to her word, will do the job and will be honest and upfront. That's what I've offered for almost nine years now, and hope to continue offering after the next federal election."
Desjarlais says she could be sitting as an independent as soon as Tuesday. She says she'll decide how to vote on confidence motions in the House of Commons on a case-by-case basis.
