Former prime minister Stephen Harper says that, on the basis of what he knew at the time, he could not justify dumping Rick Dykstra as a Conservative Party candidate in 2015. According to the magazine, federal party officials allowed Dykstra to stand as a candidate in 2015 despite the allegation. The story recounts testy exchanges among senior campaign officials about whether to drop Dykstra, with one, Jenni Byrne, arguing for his dismissal. "Given this understanding of the situation, I did not believe that I could justify removing him as a candidate," Harper said. Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer has ordered an independent investigation into how Dykstra was allowed to remain a candidate in 2015.

Source: CBC News February 03, 2018 02:42 UTC