Lacking a Conservative Party of Canada candidate in Sudbury East-Manitoulin-Nickel Belt, local Tories are kicking the tires, with at least two names currently standing for nomination.
These names include Jim Bélanger and Himal Hossain, who have both been advertising their candidacy for nomination on social media.
Bélanger has set up a website, jimbelanger.ca, promoting his candidacy.
“Jim Bélanger is a lifelong resident of Sudbury East – Manitoulin – Nickel Belt (formerly the Nickel Belt riding),” the website notes.
”He is seeking to represent this great riding as the Conservative candidate and is looking for the support of Conservative members, along with their friends and families, to win the nomination.”
He’s bilingual, carries a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Ottawa, resides in Azilda and “has worked across Northern Ontario in various sectors, including: mining, logging, agriculture and fuel distribution.”
Hossain has been promoting himself as a Conservative nominee candidate on social media since at least last summer, when he posted information about himself.
“Born to immigrant parents, Himal epitomizes cultural diversity and resilience,” he wrote. “Raised in a Conservative household, he effortlessly communicates in French, English, Spanish, Hindi and Punjabi, showcasing his profound connection to heritage and linguistic richness.”
He is employed as a human resources business partner in the energy sector.
“Firmly grounded in Conservative values, he advocates for individual responsibility and community empowerment, spearheading grassroots initiatives for education reform, small business support and public safety enhancement."
Local lawyer Adam Castonguay had been advertising himself as a candidate in recent weeks, including on a Facebook page and a website, castonguayconservative.ca.
On Thursday, he announced that his candidacy would not be proceeding, with no explanation.
Castonguay has made headlines in recent years for a sexual assault allegation, which he was acquitted of last year and placed under a peace bond. His accuser requested a publication ban on her name be lifted so she could share her story.
Although at least one more name has been bandied about as a potential Conservative candidate for Sudbury East-Manitoulin-Nickel Belt, Sudbury.com was not able to connect with them to confirm the validity of this rumour.
A letter to area Conservatives noted that the deadline to submit candidate nomination applications would be 5 p.m. on Jan. 22.
The deadline to sign on as a member and vote in a future nomination meeting, whose date, time and location is yet to be determined, was at 5 p.m. on Jan. 10.
Past Conservative candidate Fred Slade told Sudbury.com that anything can change between now and the deadline to apply, with past experience showing some potential candidates drop off and others added last-minute.
Even then, the vetting process through party office has the potential to disqualify candidates.
The next federal election will be the first for the newly formed Sudbury East-Manitoulin-Nickel Belt riding, part of which currently includes the Nickel Belt and Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing ridings. The new riding stretches the current Nickel Belt riding farther southwest to include Espanola and Manitoulin Island.
The Conservative vacancy in the Sudbury East-Manitoulin-Nickel Belt is the only one among the three leading parties in this and the Sudbury federal riding.
Sudbury has Ian Symington (Conservative), Nadia Verrelli (NDP) and Viviane Lapointe (Liberals), and Sudbury East-Manitoulin-Nickel Belt has Marc Serré (Liberal) and Andréane Chénier (NDP).
This entire slate of candidates also sought public office in the 2021 election, which was secured by Lapointe and Serré in Sudbury and Nickel Belt, respectively.
The 2021 election also saw Conservative Charles Humphrey vie for the Nickel Belt seat, securing a second-place 13,425 votes to Serré‘s 17,353. Both Humphrey and Symington made gains for the Conservatives. In this election, the People’s Party of Canada was accused of vote-splitting the conservative base. If all of People’s Party candidate David Hobbs’ 4,558 votes went to Humphrey, the Conservative would have cleared Serré’s with a 630-vote victory.
Humphrey has since relocated to the Maritimes, which left the current Conservative vacancy in Sudbury East-Manitoulin-Nickel Belt.
Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.
