CALGARY- Calgary businessman Jamie Lall was blocked from running as a Progressive Conservative candidate in the Chestermere-Rocky View riding, and said he learned the news in a text message from the executive director of the PC party.
In a statement released Monday, Lall said he received a message on Saturday at 11:27 p.m. that read:
“The committee met and has disallowed your participation in the nomination, It’s back to you to decide if it’s better for you to step aside now or be disallowed as part of our release tonight.”
Lall had been set to run against former Wildrose MLA Bruce McAllister for the nomination. Lall said he had already been vetted as a candidate and had met with a private investigator on March 10 as part of the screening process.
“I did not feel that much of the information he was asking was relevant, such as personal phone numbers of my family members and friends, however he was quite aggressive that it was relevant, and so to not ruffle any feathers I obliged with his request.”
The PC Party executive director says a private investigator was hired to assist in vetting all constituency nominations, and Premier Jim Prentice said he’s “satisfied they made the right choice in terms of best interests of the PC party.”
“They made their decision in the case of Mr. Lall for good reasons,” said Prentice at a Calgary press conference on Monday afternoon. “I can’t speak to you about what those reasons are because I think that’s up to Mr. Lall if he wishes to speak about it.”
Lall said the Saturday text message was the first he heard of his candidacy being disallowed, after he received a March 24 email from his local nomination chair saying the nomination had been approved.
“I was not given a opportunity to meet with the nomination committee to receive more information and it was published on the PCAA website that I was disallowed later that same night,” said Lall in his statement.
McAllister, who joined joined former Wildrose leader Danielle Smith in crossing the floor to the ruling Tories last year, was acclaimed shortly after Lall says he received the text message Saturday night. Three other Wildrose floor-crossers lost their bids to become PC candidates earlier on Saturday.
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Lall was a candidate for the PCAA in 2012 in Calgary-Buffalo and is the president of the Calgary-McCall PC Association.
“This has not been an easy time but I would like to thank people from all party stripes for the support they have shown towards me,” said Lall. “I have no further comment on this situation and only commented today to ensure that I can move forward in my life without a shadow being cast upon my reputation.”
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