A second Conservative nomination candidate is alleging irregularities in a GTA nomination race after the party disqualified her over a rule violation.
Aurora, Ont. councillor Rachel Gilliland had her application to seek the Conservative party’s nomination in Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill shot down.
“Rachel Gilliland was in clear violation of rules outlined in the CPC ‘Rules and Procedures for Candidate Nominations,” a Conservative spokesperson told True North in an email.
“The local Candidate Nomination Committee (CNC) recommended disqualification and the National Candidate Selection Committee upheld the local CNC decision. After review, the National Council did not accept Ms. Gilliland’s appeal of this decision.”
As per its standard practice on nominations, the party did not disclose which rules had been broken.
Gilliland, however, alleged a “number of irregularities” and suspected some party nomination rules were broken by another campaign.
Earlier this month, Sabrina Maddeaux suspended her bid in the same nomination race, alleging a corrupt process.
Gilliland told True North that she had similar issues to Maddeaux regarding another nomination candidate knocking on the doors of constituents she signed up for before any updated list of party members was given to the race participants.
“One of the people who had texted me has never been able to disclose any of their party politics due to their employment,” Gilliland said. “They had joined specifically for me.”
She also accused the Electoral District Association president and other board members of door-knocking on behalf of another candidate in the race.
She said damaging character reference emails targeted three potential candidates in the race.
The messages said she and Maddeaux were “woke individuals” who had infiltrated the party.
Gilliland said she spoke with a regional director about the issue and was told to email the party.
She included a report of the incident in an email after negative character references were sent to new party members in April.
Gilliland said that after speaking with the board, she had no issues for some time before Maddeaux publicly ended her nomination race, raising awareness of those issues.
The Conservatives rejected Maddeux’s similar claims of wrongdoing in the race.
A Conservative source told True North that Gilliland’s promotion of her nomination campaign through a website connected to her work as a municipal councillor might have influenced her rejection. Gilliland denied she has done anything wrong.
“I have my own personal website…it highlights my council work and my track record that I do in the community. The website directs people to my federal nomination website, both I fund 100%,” Gilliland said. “I did not use any town website for people to buy memberships at.”
She said her website was mentioned in an interview with the party when she applied for nomination.
“I had no idea this was even an issue. And I said, ‘Oh, is that something you would like me to remove?’ And they said ‘No,’” she claimed.
Gilliland said she was never told why the party rejected her nomination bid. This is typical when nomination disqualifications take place, a Conservative official previously told True North.
Gilliland claimed she had sold 550 memberships using paper forms while knocking on doors and signed up 30 members through the federal party’s online membership portal.
