Sask. Conservative leadership hopeful says he was disqualified despite meeting requirements
Sask. Conservative leadership hopeful says he was disqualified despite meeting requirements
Sask. Conservative leadership hopeful says he was disqualified despite meeting requirements
A Saskatchewan business owner says while he met the requirements to officially join the federal Conservative leadership race, a clerical issue ended his hopes of leading the party.
While Joseph Bourgault said he takes the Conservative Party of Canada's (CPC) explanation at "face value" he questions whether that was all there was to it.
"Is there some kind of consciousness — that they want to keep you out of the race," he told CTV News during an interview by Zoom.
Bourgault is the co-founder of Canadians for Truth, a group largely born out of opposition to pandemic health measures, which promotes a medically disproven treatment for COVID-19 on its website.
The website also references the "great reset," a phrase used by adherents of a conspiracy theory that frames the COVID-19 pandemic as an attempt by "global elites" to reshape society.
Bourgault made the trip to the nation's capital during the protest and describes it as a "spiritual experience."
"It was just the most moving experience I've ever had in my life, many of us were shedding tears often over there," Bourgault said in a Zoom interview with CTV News.
"You know, just being in the presence of all the great people, all the great Canadians that were there."
According to Bourgault, that's despite the fact that he was able to raise the total of $300,000 required to enter the race and exceeded the number of required CPC-member signatures before the April 29 deadline.
"It took them a number of days, we couldn't figure out why it was taking so long for them to verify," Bourgault said.
"Then on Sunday night, we received the call."
Bourgault said the party told him the decision came down to a single "inadequacy" in a loan document that was submitted as part of his financing package.
"That doesn't make a lot of sense to us, for the amount of time and energy and effort that goes into something like this If you haven't dotted an 'i' or crossed a 't.'"
Bourgault said there was no specific guidance on how to craft the document.
"Let me be clear here — the error that they're claiming is an error. We didn't see it that way," Bourgault said.
"Based on what was given to us, there's a lot of ambiguity in it … it was so easy for something like that to happen."
CPC has not responded to a request for comment.
Bourgault said that CPC staff spoke "very highly" of him and his campaign team, but the feeling may not be universal.
"We've heard from fairly reliable sources that there were some people (who) don't like people who speak the truth and I'm a truth seeker and a truth speaker," Bourgault said.
"I don't have factual documentation that I can show you. But if there were candidates that operated in the background in any way to get us off the out of the debates, they're really not a legitimate candidate and they're going to struggle."
Mounties on Vancouver Island have publicly identified the two gunmen killed during a shootout with police at a bank in Saanich on Tuesday as 22-year-old twin brothers Mathew and Isaac Auchterlonie.
CTVNews.ca asked Canadians to share their travel horror stories as cancelled flights, delays and lost luggage throw a wrench in Canadians' summer travel plans, due in part to staffing shortages at Canadian airports. Some report sleeping at airports and others say it took days to get to or from a destination.
The Canada Day long weekend saw gas prices plummet in parts of the country, but the relief at the pumps may not stay for very long, analysts say. The decreases come after crude oil prices slid in June following the U.S. Federal Reserve's interest rate hikes, sparking fears of a recession.
A law outlawing any dealings with the Taliban, which charities complain is impeding their ability to help needy Afghans, could be adjusted by the federal government to give more flexibility to aid agencies.
U.S. President Joe Biden intends to nominate an anti-abortion Republican lawyer to a federal judgeship, two Kentucky Democrats informed of the decision say.
Russian forces pounded the city of Lysychansk and its surroundings in an all-out attempt to seize the last stronghold of resistance in eastern Ukraine's Luhansk province, the governor said Saturday.
A California man has posted a widely-shared video in an attempt to educate people about the monkeypox virus outbreak, to encourage people to get vaccinated if they're eligible and to make it very clear: 'You do not want this.'
An Ontario high school teacher plans to continue with an alternative method of grading her students after an experiment last semester in which students proposed a grade and had to justify it with examples of their work.
A tripartite settlement agreement was signed between the government of Saskatchewan, the federal government and the Zagimē Anishinabēk First Nation on Thursday, allowing the First Nation to acquire over 180,000 acres of land.
CTVNews.ca asked Canadians to share their travel horror stories as cancelled flights, delays and lost luggage throw a wrench in Canadians' summer travel plans, due in part to staffing shortages at Canadian airports. Some report sleeping at airports and others say it took days to get to or from a destination.
The Canada Day long weekend saw gas prices plummet in parts of the country, but the relief at the pumps may not stay for very long, analysts say. The decreases come after crude oil prices slid in June following the U.S. Federal Reserve's interest rate hikes, sparking fears of a recession.
Mounties on Vancouver Island have publicly identified the two gunmen killed during a shootout with police at a bank in Saanich on Tuesday as 22-year-old twin brothers Mathew and Isaac Auchterlonie.
Mounties on Vancouver Island have publicly identified the two gunmen killed during a shootout with police at a bank in Saanich on Tuesday as 22-year-old twin brothers Mathew and Isaac Auchterlonie.
Ontario is not yet allowing most adults under the age of 60 to get a fourth COVID-19 vaccine shot, prompting one doctor to prepare legal action to get the province to widen eligibility.
Ottawa police say residents and visitors will continue to see an enhanced police presence in downtown Ottawa today, as the cleanup begins from Canada's 155th birthday party.
Parties and protests mark Canada Day in Ottawa, a mother and daughter killed in a south end home and a new entrant in the race for mayor. CTVNewsOttawa.ca looks at the top five stories on our website this week.
Twin brothers in their early 20s were responsible for the shooting that injured numerous police officers at a bank in Saanich, B.C., earlier this week, RCMP alleged Saturday.
A UBC researcher will soon embark on the trip of a lifetime, circling the globe over the course of several months to further her understanding of a creature that has captivated her for years: jellyfish.
The number of Quebec households without a roof over their heads after July 1 moving day is currently 600. That number "could continue to rise in the coming days," warned Véronique Laflamme, spokesperson for the Quebec housing advocacy group - FRAPRU, at a news conference in Montreal on Saturday.
A prominent housing advocacy group fears Quebec could see an increase in households left without a permanent place to live as leases expire across the province on July 1.
Mounties on Vancouver Island have publicly identified the two gunmen killed during a shootout with police at a bank in Saanich on Tuesday as 22-year-old twin brothers Mathew and Isaac Auchterlonie.
A 50-year-old New Brunswick woman is facing an impaired driving charge following a head-on collision with a fully marked RCMP vehicle in the village of Tracadie.
A unique scavenger hunt in Sudbury aims to get people out exploring nature and enjoying the outdoors. The event includes an educational element about Indigenous traditions and teachings, in particular the Seven Grandfather Teachings.
A Toronto man is getting set to become the first disabled athlete to cross Lake Superior on a paddleboard. Mike Shoreman, who made a stop in Sault Ste. Marie Friday, has already crossed Lake Erie, and most recently crossed Lake Huron. He is raising money for youth mental wellness.
Heavy smoke and loud explosions woke up a number of residents in a high-rise apartment Saturday morning on Capulet Lane in London, Ont. when a fire broke out in the parking garage next to their building.
Ontario is not yet allowing most adults under the age of 60 to get a fourth COVID-19 vaccine shot, prompting one doctor to prepare legal action to get the province to widen eligibility.
