Just to continue the riding-by-riding examination of Conservative candidates under DAMMIT JANET’s “Did Con Candidate” meme, we learn this morning that Ryan Hastman, Con candidate in Edmonton-Strathcona, has taken on one Sebastien Togneri to help out on his campaign.
Sebastien Togneri demanded that government officials block the release of a document and censor it heavily in 2009 while he was a senior aide to a cabinet minister.
Public Works Minister Rona Ambrose called in the Mounties to determine if charges should be laid after an investigation by Canada’s information commissioner found that Togneri clearly interfered with the request without legal authority to do so.
Christian Paradis was the Cabinet minister in question. Togneri was a serviceable rogue who gave a less-than-stellar performance at the House of Commons ethics committee when the so-called “purple file” censorship scheme was discovered at Public Works Canada.
As is the custom in Harper Government™ circles, Togneri fell on his sword last October.
He has risen from the dead, it seems, but returns as a significant liability for a candidate trying to topple an incumbent NDP MP. Did the Cons think no one would notice?
[H/t James Curran]
