Rumours swirl around vacant Tory candidacy - Winnipeg Free Press
Late last week, Winnipeg School Division trustee Joyce Bateman was widely rumoured to be the candidate appointed by Tory party brass after Raymond Hall abruptly resigned as the party's nominee earlier this month.
That rumour raised eyebrows because Bateman is a longtime Liberal. She was a member of the Liberal party until very recently and actively supported Ontario MP Ken Dryden in the 2006 Liberal leadership race. Sources say she had expressed interest in running for the Grits when MP Anita Neville retires. Neville is running again this election.
Speculation that Bateman was about to switch parties and run for the Tories was a hot topic in Liberal circles over the weekend, and several Liberals tried to reach her to dissuade her from running.
But the weekend passed with no formal announcement about Bateman's candidacy. Repeated calls to Bateman and local senior Tories, including national party councillor Marni Larkin, have gone unanswered since Thursday. The president of the Tory riding association in Winnipeg South Centre, who recently spoke candidly about divisions within the riding association, is out of town and could not be reached for comment.
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