Make it three: N.S. MLA Orrell joins d’Entremont and MacLeod as federal Tory candidates

A third Nova Scotia PC MLA has been nominated as a Tory candidate in the upcoming federal election.

Eddie Orrell, the member representing the Cape Breton riding of Northside-Westmount, will now be the flag bearer for the party in the federal riding of Sydney-Victoria.

READ MORE: N.S. MLA Chris d’Entremont wins federal Tory nomination

A member of the legislature since 2011, Orrell is the current chair of the public accounts committee, which reviews public spending, reports from the auditor general and other public funds.

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Orrell joins fellow Tories Chris d’Entremont and Alfie MacLeod, themselves PC MLAs, in an attempt to take away seats from the federal Liberal party.

Nova Scotia was a part of the so-called “red wave” where all four Atlantic provinces elected only Liberal MPs during the 2015 federal election.

READ MORE: Longtime Nova Scotia MLA says he plans to run for federal office

Under the House of Assembly Act, there is nothing that states that MLAs need to give up their provincial seats until they’re nominated federal candidates.

Until the federal writ is dropped and candidates have filed their nomination papers with Elections Canada, the MLAs can still still hold their jobs, a point that has been criticized by Premier Stephen McNeil.

The riding of Sydney-Victoria is held by Liberal MP Mark Eyking, who recently was the parliamentary chair of the Standing Committee on International Trade.

Eyking has represented the Cape Breton riding for 19 years.

– With files from Graeme Benjamin and Alexander Quon