The Yukon Party has pulled its candidate for Mount Lorne-Southern Lakes, just days before a widely-anticipated election call.
Gerrard Fleming, a 58-year-old salesman with Northwestel and chair of the Whitehorse Chamber of Commerce, was to stand in the riding. But, last night, the Yukon Party announced it had “removed” him “following several meetings and conversations.”
Neither Fleming nor party officials would explain the reason for his dismissal.
“I just don’t know how to explain it,” said Fleming. “I haven’t put everything together yet. I need to process it properly.”
Fleming’s background is presumably clean: he had cleared the federal Conservatives’ background check to vie for the Yukon’s candidacy prior to the last federal election, losing out to Ryan Leef, Yukon’s new MP.
And Fleming hadn’t broken any rules, said president Jonas Smith. “It wasn’t anything like that,” he said. Smith wouldn’t offer further details.
“Gerrard is really in the only position to comment further.”
A new candidate would be announced “very soon,” said Smith.
The Liberals are running Ted Adel in the riding. Kevin Barr is carrying the NDP flag.
Premier Darrell Pasloski is expected to call the election when he addresses a Whitehorse Chamber of Commerce luncheon on Friday. Even if he doesn’t drop the writ then, he’ll need to do it soon: his party’s mandate expires in October.