PC MLA Chris d'Entremont wins federal Tory nomination

Progressive Conservative MLA Chris d'Entremont won the federal nomination as the Conservative Party candidate for the riding of West Nova on Saturday night and said he will review whether he has to step down from the legislature over the next few weeks.

"Originally it looked like we had to resign immediately after receiving the nomination. The further look from the Legislative Assembly folks said that that's not quite the rule," said d'Entremont, the MLA for Argyle-Barrington.

"This premier waited six months to call the last two byelections, so I don't want the people of Argyle-Barrington to be without any representation over the next bit."

Earlier this week, Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil criticized four MLAs, including d'Entremont, who plan to keep their jobs after they are nominated by their parties to run in the fall federal election.

d'Entremont's PC colleagues Alfie MacLeod and Eddie Orrell also plan to run in the upcoming federal election. Former NDP MLA Lenore Zann is currently sitting as an independent and is seeking the federal Liberal nomination in Cumberland-Colchester.

McNeil said he plans to change a provincial law from 1937 that doesn't clearly define what nomination as a federal candidate means.  

Won on first ballot

d'Entremont said he won the nomination on the first ballot against contenders Dan Mullen and Hannah Dawson-Murphy. He said the total numbers are not released.

He said he sees Ottawa as a natural progression in his career.

"West Nova is a humongous constituency, a humongous riding and we're gonna have to be able to get a team in place," he said.

"That's gonna take a fair amount of time before we really get down to the nitty gritty, which is getting and knocking on doors."