Stephen Harper, Leader of the Opposition and leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, today announced that Allan Cutler will seek the Conservative Party of Canada’s nomination for the upcoming election in the riding of Ottawa South.
Mr. Cutler is well-known to Canadians as the career public servant who blew the whistle on the corruption at the heart of the sponsorship scandal in 1995 and lost his job as a result.
“Allan was singled out for praise by Judge Gomery in his report,” said Harper, “and some citizens have said he deserves the Order of Canada.”
“When Canadians go to the polls, the question they will face is simple: after twelve years of waste, mismanagement, and corruption, which party can provide the change in the system that is needed to clean up government in Ottawa?”
“I am honoured to announce that Mr. Cutler has decided to seek the nomination to become the next Conservative candidate in the riding of Ottawa South.”
The Conservative party is expected to set the date for a nomination meeting in Ottawa South shortly.
Has Alan Cutler always been a Conservative or is this a reaction to the treatment he received from Liberal governments? Regardless, this is nothing but good news for the Conservatives.
I hope he wins the riding nomination and then gets elected as an MP. The punishment levelled against Mr. Cutler, for doing the right thing, is unforgivable and he would could if his courage could be displayed in Parliament.
Update: CBC has more on the story here.
Update II: Ottawa South is David McGuinty's riding and we beat Conservative candidate Alan Riddell 25,956 to 20,622. If my memory serves this is a reading that many thought was winnable last time and the addition of Allan Culter will make this a tight race.
In looking at the numbers I wonder if the Ottawa area was one of the places that experienced the late NDP shift.
In Ottawa South the NDP candidate (Monia Mazigh) received 13.6% of the vote.
In Ottawa-Orleans the NDP candidate (Crystal Leblanc) received 10.0% of the vote.
It is similar for Ottawa-Vanier and Ottawa West-Nepean. (not so for Ottawa Centre, where Ed Broadbent won).
Is Ottawa just a weak area for the NDP or did the NDP indeed suffer from last-minute vote switching in Ottawa?
