The candidate chosen in 2005 to run for the Conservatives in Chuck Cadman's Vancouver-area riding said he was never approached about stepping aside to allow the terminally-ill MP to run for the party.
David Matta was acclaimed as the party's candidate for Surrey-North on May 2, 2005 -- more than two weeks before Conservative officials say they offered a candidacy to Mr. Cadman on the day of a crucial confidence vote.
"Nobody approached me for that," said Mr. Matta.
2) A former employee of deceased MP Chuck Cadman, Dan Wallace, has issued a statement saying there was only one meeting with two top Conservative Party of Canada officials before Cadman voted on the 2005 budget.
The meeting on May 17th is now deemed fictitious. Personally, I don't know what to make of that. FYI only.
3) No effect on the polls yet:
The federal budget and a brewing scandal over alleged offers made to the late Independent MP Chuck Cadman have neither boosted nor hurt the Conservatives in terms of public support.
A Toronto Star/Angus Reid poll released today gives the Conservatives 34 per cent of the decided vote if an election were held today, the Liberals 28 per cent, the NDP 18 per cent, the Bloc Québécois 10 per cent and the Green party 9 per cent
4) Ezra Levant manages to turn the Cadman scandal into another opportunity to talk about himself. My favorite line:
Back in the spring of 2002, the Canadian Alliance was in a civil war. The party was in disarray, with MPs defecting, staff quitting and insider leaking embarrassing tid-bits to the press on a daily basis. Needless to say, the party was low in the polls.
Sounds like the today's Liberal party, minus the "low in the polls" bit. This too shall pass Liberals. Hang together or hang separately, and all that.
