Ottawa #Elxn43: Liberal nom in Orlans, leader visits, McCaffrey controversy – Ottawa Citizen

Heres whats you may have missed in local election news over the past few days as people trained their eyes on the Confederation Line launch instead of on the campaign.

Orlans set to get its Liberal candidate

With federal election day five weeks away, the Liberals have finally announced a date for local members to choose the partys candidate in Orlans: Thursday, Sept. 19.

Orlans is the only Ottawa-area riding that hasnt officially nominated a Liberal candidate.

Incumbent Andrew Leslie, a retired army commander, announced in the spring that he wouldnt run again. A date for the nomination meeting still hadnt been set when the election period officially began last week.

Orlans MPP Marie-France Lalonde and riding association president Khatera Akbari are contesting the nomination.

The Conservatives, Green Party and Peoples Party of Canada have chosen candidates in every Ottawa-area riding. The NDP has yet to officially nominate a candidate in Nepean and LanarkFrontenacKingston.

McCaffrey questioned about friendship with Faith Goldy

Kanata-Carleton Conservative candidate and fashion designer Justina McCaffrey came under fire after several Liberals posted a years-old video in which she pals around with far-right personality Faith Goldy.

At a weekend appearance in Kanata with Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer, McCaffrey fled reporters with questions about her relationship with Goldy. Later, the Conservatives issued a statement in which McCaffrey said, This video is from 2013. I havent seen her in several years. Goldy was banned from Facebook in April for spreading hate. In 2017, she was fired by right-wing news outlet The Rebel after she appeared on a neo-Nazi-affiliated podcast.

Party leaders lend face time to local candidates

Visiting KanataCarleton, Scheer said McCaffreys team knocked on more doors than any other Conservative campaign last week. His presence and McCaffreys ground game likely mean the Conservatives see this as a winnable riding.

Liberal Karen McCrimmon won the seat in 2015 with 51 per cent of the vote, compared to 39 per cent for the Conservatives. Shes running again.

Scheer wasnt the only leader to visit an Ottawa battleground riding over the weekend. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh joined Ottawa Centre NDP candidate Emilie Taman to kick off her campaign. Ottawa Centre was an NDP riding for more than a decade until it turned red with Catherine McKennas 2015 election victory.

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