Dominic Cardy says he has same values and polices even as he runs for PCs after NDP departure

A familiar face is knocking on doors in Fredericton-West Hanwell but this time around, former NDP leader Dominic Cardy isn’t touting the values of the social democratic party. He’s running for the PCs.

“I spent 30-years in a party. But at the same time, if you always remember the principles and the values that are the most important thing, you should always be ready to move where those values lead you,” Cardy says.

Those values led him to the Progressive Conservatives, because prior to putting his name on the ballot, he served as the chief of staff to Blaine Higgs, the party’s leader.

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Cardy led the NDP from 2011-2017 but resigned because of party infighting and conflicts with CUPE New Brunswick.

“This has nothing to do with the rank and file of trade union members. It was just this tiny group of people who enjoyed having the NDP basically as their pet political party and were annoyed when I turned up with a lot of supporters and we tried to do things differently,” Cardy said.

His successor as New Brunswick NDP leader, Jennifer McKenzie, questions Cardy’s character and says she’s trying to make the party viable again.

“I think he’s found his home in the Conservative party. What we wanted to do is redefine ourselves as New Democrats. We have built a team of people across the province who have a true New Democratic set of values,” McKenzie says.

WATCH: Dominic Cardy stands by reasons for stepping down as leader of New Brunswick NDP

1:57 Dominic Cardy stands by reasons for stepping down as leader of New Brunswick NDP

The real question is, can Cardy use his influence as the former leader of the NDP Party to turn orange votes Tory Blue? Some suggest that may a hard thing to accomplish.

According to Don Wright, a political science professor at the University of New Brunswick, Cardy may encounter troubled waters — that is, if he’s elected.

“He was always, I suppose, a fiscal conservative and he finds himself at home in the party of fiscal conservatism. Again, I think he’ll have a hard time in the Conservative party because it’s also home to the social conservatives,” Wright says.

Cardy is a high-profile candidate, but the party swap could cause confusion when voters head to the polls. That’s why he says it’s important to knock on as many doors as possible.

“I’m still the same person. I still have exactly the same values, exactly the same policies,” Cardy says.