Ches Crosbie rebuff a blow to the Conservative party: former adviser

Ches Crosbie (right) sits beside his father, former federal cabinet minister John Crosbie, on Thursday, Dec. 18, 2014 in Conception Bay South, N.L. (Sue Bailey/THE CANADIAN PRESS)

ST. JOHN'S, N.L. -- Rejecting Ches Crosbie as a federal Conservative candidate in Newfoundland and Labrador is a headline-making blow to a party that needs all the help it can get in the province, says a former adviser.

Tim Powers said Crosbie, a successful lawyer and son of former Tory cabinet minister John Crosbie, is the sort of prospect the Conservatives should embrace.

"The rationale that has been brought forward to deny Ches his candidacy seems awful flimsy to me," Powers said Thursday from Ottawa.

"It's unfortunate for the Conservative party not to have a candidate like Ches Crosbie because those are the sorts of people we need to attract."

Powers, a lobbyist and vice-chairman of Summa Strategies, is a cousin of Crosbie's. He said it makes no sense to stonewall qualified people in a province where the Conservatives don't hold even one of seven seats.

The party's sole victory in the province in 2011, Peter Penashue in Labrador, was a major upset that ended with his resignation over illegitimate campaign expenses. He lost a subsequent byelection, and his former official agent now faces charges under the Canada Elections Act.

Powers said it's also unhelpful to raise the ire of John Crosbie, one of the most quotable politicians to ever serve.

"One is hardly surprised at the fallout. John Crosbie can launch a nuclear bomb with the best of them. And a nuclear bomb has just gone off."

Ches Crosbie was the only person to file papers for the Conservative nomination in the riding of Avalon before a deadline last month. He confirmed Wednesday in a statement that he was rejected.

"The decision-makers at party headquarters in Ottawa decided I wasn't the type of candidate they wanted," he said. He has no plans to appeal.

John Crosbie said Thursday his son is not commenting while on vacation in Europe. But the famously outspoken Progressive Conservative veteran, who served in the cabinets of former prime ministers Joe Clark and Brian Mulroney, wasn't mincing words.

He said the vetting committee in a 15-minute phone call last week objected to the younger Crosbie's part in a recent fundraising skit that poked fun at Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

Wearing a Harper-esque wig, kilt and seal skin vest, Ches Crosbie performed in April to raise cash for a local theatre company. His send-up of "Macbeth" saw his character King Harper face off against "Macduffy" with reference to staffers being sacrificed for political expediency.

It was a bit of fun for a good cause, John Crosbie said in an interview.

"The whole thing is an affront to the democratic system," he said of his son's rejection. "It shows an autocratic trend in the leadership of the party that in any properly operated democracy should not be permitted.

"I think it's a disgrace."

Conservative Party of Canada spokesman Cory Hann said the issue is an internal party matter.

Avalon has been represented since 2008 by Scott Andrews, who is now testing the waters for a potential re-election bid this fall as an Independent.

Andrews was ejected from the Liberal caucus over alleged sexual misconduct involving an NDP MP, which he says are unsubstantiated. In a recent letter to constituents, he accused Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau of "unprofessional" actions that he said stripped him of his right to fair process and defence.