Reader Qs: Have the PCs abandoned Ottawa?

Sir John A's digs, Ghamari's gone for good, shilling in cottage country, defamation dodged, Grit nomination blitz continues (albeit slowly)

ABOVE THE FOLD

YOU ASK, WE ANSWER — In all the hullaballoo surrounding GOLDIE GHAMARI’s ouster from the PC caucus, one reader wrote in with a query: “Have the PCs abandoned Ottawa?”

Their thinking? “It seems like the PC’s victory formula for the next election does not include Ottawa.”

Three’s a trend: When Ghamari, who reps Carleton, got the boot, it meant the PCs lost another 613 seat, following Liberal KAREN McCRIMMON’s byelection victory in Kanata-Carleton, which was put into play when ex-Minister MERRILEE FULLERTON stepped down. And back in 2022, the Tories lost Ottawa West-Nepean to the NDP’s CHANDRA PASMA.

Case in point: There’s virtually no Ottawa-area representation in Cabinet anymore (unless you count neighbouring junior Forestry Minister NOLAN QUINN of Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry, which Liberal Orleans rep STEPHEN BLAIS absolutely does not). Besides Fullerton, LISA MacLEOD also lost her spot on the front bench as she took time off to address her mental and physical healt…