Liberal candidate Jessica Simmonds running as Independent in District 14
Former Liberal Party candidate Jessica Simmonds is now running as an Independent candidate in District 14: Charlottetown-West Royalty.
Simmonds was originally running for the Liberals in District 10: Charlottetown-Winsloe before questions about her Indigenous heritage reached the party.
According to the Liberals, an outside group shared concerns about the matter. Simmonds' claim to Indigenous heritage was cited in Liberal Party materials, including references to Simmonds' Indigenous beliefs and medicine walks.
Simmonds said she was asked to step down by the Liberals days after her nomination in late February.
She responded in an emailed statement saying: "Let me be clear: I am a woman of Indigenous heritage. Both my maternal great-great-grandparents were of Indigenous descent. I have been a member of the Native Council of Prince Edward Island since 2017, when the Native Council performed an extensive review of our family tree.
"I will not speculate on the real reason why I was asked to step down. I do not believe the purity of a person's race should ... be the criteria for elected office."
Simmonds is now running in the district where she was born, raised and resides, according to her Facebook page.
She's running against five other candidates in District 14, the most contested district in this election so far. The six candidates are, alphabetically by last name:
Bill Cann, Island Party.
Nick LeClair, Green Party.
Kristi MacKay, Progressive Conservative Party.
Gord McNeilly, Liberal Party.
Jessica Simmonds, Independent.
Simone Webster, New Democratic Party.
