Tory MP Eve Adams says she's taking herself out of a Conservative nomination race for health reasons.
“I continue to suffer from my concussion and the time has come to take my health seriously,” Adams explained in a 742-word email to supporters on Friday.
Adams slipped outside an Ottawa deli and suffered a grade-2 concussion in late February, Maclean's reported.
Her decision came after the Conservative Party (CPC) postponed a contentious nomination vote in the new federal riding of Oakville North-Burlington in May. Both Adams and chiropractor Natalia Lishchyna had lobbed accusations at each other, alleging political impropriety on both sides.
“To ensure a fair and open nomination process, the Conservative Party of Canada has determined the Oakville North-Burlington nomination meeting … must be postponed in order to fully review complaints received,” CPC spokesperson Cory Hann said at the time.
Adams, currently the MP for Mississauga-Brampton South, and her fiancé Dimitri Soudas were accused by Lishchyna of fraud for buying Conservative Party memberships for indifferent voters.
The Conservatives have not officially ruled on the issue, but sources tell HuffPost Canada it was evident Adams was going to be disqualified eventually.
The language in Adams' concession email on Friday suggests she’s standing by her claim that she and Soudas acted in the right.
“In a nomination where a small camp relied on mud slinging, we always remained positive and took the high road,” said Adams.
Read Adams' full email below:
I hope you and your family are enjoying our great Canadian summer.
It has been wonderful to bump into many of you at community events and welcome you at our home this summer.
I always enjoy hearing from you. Whether it is to give me advice or to chat about our kids and family, I look forward to seeing you throughout the summer as we prepare the Road to 2015.
You have overwhelmed me with your support and kind words of encouragement both for the nomination but most importantly, for my personal health since my concussion in February.
Between serving my current riding of Mississauga-Brampton South, supporting the community I live in, Oakville North-Burlington, fulfilling my duties at Health Canada, visiting different parts of the country on behalf of our Prime Minister and spending time with my family, this has been a busy summer.
As many of you know, I have volunteered actively and exclusively for our Party since I was 14 years old. Long before we had any hope of forming government, I volunteered for our Party more than 60 hours a week.
I had the wonderful privilege of being elected to City Council on 3 consecutive occasions and more than doubling my vote plurality — between each and every election, because of your support. In 2011, we defeated a Liberal MP who was touted by the Toronto Star as a future Prime Minister of Canada and considered a top Liberal organizer for Justin Trudeau.
With your support, every time I have run, we have won because of my deep belief in building strong teams and my commitment and hard work for our community.
In Oakville North-Burlington, yet again, we built a strong team and our hard work resulted in us signing up more than 1500 new members for the Conservative Party of Canada. Our opponent signed up about 150.
By comparison, provincially, the PC Party of Ontario has just over 9,300 members across 108 ridings. No one has ever said we are not workhorses.
Since the nomination closed, a few hundred additional residents of our riding have signed up to join our team and our Party.
We also built a team of more than 300 core volunteers, just for a nomination, who worked tirelessly to win this nomination and build our Party.
I am profoundly grateful for your support. Truly.
Our team of volunteers represents all ages, professions and ethnicities.
Our volunteers worked around the clock for months because they were deeply committed, as I am committed to them, and to you.
We ran a positive campaign focused on the issues that matter to you to improve our quality of life.
A campaign with clear priorities such as keeping taxes low, ensuring we have safe streets for our communities, tackling traffic gridlock, creating better jobs and improving our environment.
In a nomination where a small camp relied on mud slinging, we always remained positive and took the high road. We talked about real issues and what I would do for you and your family.
Since my concussion last February and against my doctor’s orders, I have not rested.
I assumed as with all previous health concerns that with time, my body would heal itself. However, six months later, I continue to suffer from my concussion and the time has come to take my health seriously.
Health is critical. I’ve been notoriously, hardworking throughout my career. For the first time in more than 20 years of working both in the private and public sectors and not taking sick leave, not even once, my health has been seriously impacted. I returned to work a week after giving birth for example and I worked until two weeks after my due-date when I testified at public, provincial hearings for our community.
I am writing to you today to inform you I am withdrawing my candidacy from the nomination in our riding of Oakville North-Burlington due to my slow recovery from my concussion.
When we started more than 15 months ago, I made one basic promise: that I would always be there for you and your family.
Today, I can reaffirm to you the promise that you will always be able to count on me and my support. If I can help you in any way, please contact me directly.
My personal cell phone number is on every piece of communication I have sent to you.
Thanking you once more for your continued support and commitment.
With files from Althia Raj and The Canadian Press
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