Conservatives defend ousting Ontario candidate amid anger from anti-abortion group
Global News
The party confirmed Gerrit Van Dorland has been disqualified from running to become the party's candidate in Oxford, a reliably Conservative riding in southern Ontario.
The federal Conservative party defended its decision Wednesday to oust a candidate from a local nomination race, as an anti-abortion organization alleges that the move was unfair — a tiff reminiscent of tensions that previous party leaders faced with the social conservatives in their base.
Party spokeswoman Sarah Fischer confirmed that Gerrit Van Dorland has been disqualified from running to become the party’s candidate in Oxford, a reliably Conservative riding in southern Ontario.
She said he was barred for failing to provide information such as a list of social media accounts and comments he made online or in media interviews, and the party is only commenting publicly to offer “clarification and context.”
But a spokesman for Van Dorland’s campaign says the party did not provide it with a reason for his disqualification, and it is appealing the move.
“Gerrit has fully disclosed all information requested as a part of the application process,” Bas Sluijmers, his campaign manager, told The Canadian Press in a statement.
“The Conservative party maintains that they are a party of open and fair nominations, and as such, we will be appealing this decision to the Conservative Party National Council. Gerrit remains optimistic that National Council will vote to respect the grassroots and allow his candidacy.”
Van Dorland, a former staffer on Parliament Hill, was running on a pitch of “faith, family and freedom,” and earned endorsements from Conservative members of Parliament including Leslyn Lewis, who twice ran for party leadership as a social conservative.
Anti-abortion organization RightNow released a statement calling Van Dorland’s ousting unfair — suggesting it happened both because of his “pro-life” views and because of his perceived popularity.