Canada PoliticsEve Adams, Dimitri Soudas defend themselves amid growing scrutiny
Conservative MP Eve Adams believes that she's being "pilloried in the media."
In a series of media interviews, on Thursday, the much maligned Member of Parliament for Mississauga South Brampton defended herself over allegations that she was bull-dozing her way through a nomination process in the new riding of
Specifically, Adams was responding to a letter by Oakville North Burlington riding association president Mark Fedak who accused Adams of verbally abusing volunteers, telling a local contractor not to work with the local riding association, using taxpayer money to mail-out leaflets in Oakville — a riding that she currently doesn't represent -- and using the Conservative Party database to access information about board members.
"All Conservative members of Parliament were provided with CIMS access to the riding that they will be running in, to the riding that was approved they will be running in, in 2015, and that’s been the case for a number of months," Adams told the Toronto Star.
"Everything I have done is in full compliance with all the rules. Everything I have done other MPs from my party and from all parties do and continue to do. There are dozens of MPs who are sending direct mail to their new ridings. Dozens. However, I am the one who is being pilloried in the media."
Adams' fiance, Dimitri Soudas, who was let go as the Conservative Party's executive director for participating in the nomination race also spoke out on Thursday.
"The person that I love so much, due to her concussion, was incapacitated," Soudas said in a statement, according to the Globe and Mail.
"I’m sorry to the Prime Minister for all the grief that this has caused.
"But ultimately in life you have to stand by the person that you care for and love in a difficult moment."
[ Related: With Eve Adams, Prime Minister Harper has no choice but to act swiftly ]
The nomination battle has shed some light on the sometimes controversial past of Adams.
Media outlets are now rehashing her past controversies all the way back to her days on Mississauga City Council.
The Toronto Star, for example, has written about how an employee left Adams' office and filed a "workplace harassment complaint based on alleged comments by her about sexual orientation."
The National Post dug-up this story from 2006.
"Ms. Adams was found to have violated conflict of interest policy by ordering two employees to work on her campaign, putting up signs early, and failing to get the permission of home owners. Long-term Mayor Hazel McCallion said she had a file “half an inch thick” to back it up. Ms. Adams denied it, and was soon re-elected."
The Post also brought up the story from last summer, where Adams was slammed for claiming over $2,777 in "personal expenses" during the 2011 election, on things such visits to hair and nail salons, mouthwash and whitening toothpaste.
They're, of course, implying that Eve Adams and controversy are synonymous.
Whether it's fair or not, the media attention certainly hurts the trajectory of Adams career.
She was considered an up-and-comer within Conservative Party ranks.
But now, if she's allowed to vie for the nomination in Oakville, she faces a lot of opposition and anger by local conservatives.
If she somehow manages to win the nomination, she's going to have trouble rallying Tory support behind her.
(Photo courtesy of pm.gc.ca)
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