Advertisement

Tories challenged over report that claims 1 in 4 defeated candidates given patronage posts

If you're seeking some sort of federal appointment, you might want to consider running for the Conservatives in the next election.

PostMedia News is reporting that 35 of the 141 Tory candidates who lost at the polls last election received jobs in places such as the Prime Minister's Office, Health Canada, ministers' offices or on boards and agencies such as the Quebec Port Authority.

Among the 'lucky winners' are four candidates who were appointed to the Senate, two to overseas diplomatic positions in France, 14 to agencies or boards and 14 became political staff to ministers and MPs.

A spokesman for Stephen Harper told PostMedia that each one of the candidates received the job on merit and not partisan affiliation.

"Partisan affiliation should not qualify someone for consideration, nor should it exclude someone from consideration," Carl Vallée said in an email.

"It shouldn't be a surprise that people with the determination and guts to run to be an elected member of Parliament would want to serve the public in some capacity."

But, appropriately, not many are buying the Conservative spin.

For the National Post, journalist Kelly McParland penned a witty column titled: 'Running for the Tories means never needing EI.'

"What intrigues me is...that so many failed Conservative candidates needed jobs. Politicians are constantly telling us that they need big pay cheques and rich benefits to attract quality candidates. That hardly holds water if the reality is that a quarter of them can't get a job at all unless the winning party finds a patronage post to put them in," he wrote.

"The Conservatives are presently in the process of reforming the Employment Insurance system, so that repeat applicants are treated less hospitably. This could leave a lot of unemployable Canadians wondering where their next paycheque will come from. On the bright side, it opens up a whole new pool of potential Conservative candidates."

NDP MP Charlie Angus also railed against the government in the form of an impassioned speech in Parliament, Monday.

"The Conservatives have the nerve to tell seniors and the unemployed that the cupboard is bare while giving out all the pork to their failed candidates," Angus said in Parliament Monday.

"The prime minister promised to clean up the cesspool in Ottawa. He broke that promise. Why is his buddies that were rejected by the Canadian people living off the taxpayers dime?"