Cape Breton PCs surprised by Baillie allegations
‘I found him always to be an outstanding man’
On holiday in Florida, party politics was not top-of-mind for even die-hard Progressive Conservative Kirk MacRae.
So when he was reached by phone by the Cape Breton Post Thursday only minutes after learning Jamie Baillie had tendered his resignation as party leader a day earlier and not knowing the circumstances around the decision, the Sydney businessman was gobsmacked when he discovered the reason.
“Total shock to me,” MacRae said, noting he has known Baillie since the former Cumberland South MLA’s days as chief of staff for Premier John Hamm, close to two decades.
“I thought when I heard that he had gotten a job and was leaving to take it ... I found him always to be an outstanding man.”
MacRae added he was reluctant to make any additional comment, not knowing the specifics of the allegation.
On Wednesday it was announced that Baillie had resigned as leader of the Nova Scotia Progressive Conservative party and MLA for Cumberland South over allegations of inappropriate behavior. There have since been reports that the allegations may have involved a female party staffer.
According to a party statement, it had arranged an independent, third-party investigation when the allegation was made that concluded Baillie breached the Nova Scotia House of Assembly Policy on the Prevention and Resolution of Harassment in the Workplace. Karla MacFarlane, caucus chair and MLA for Pictou West, is acting as leader until a new one is chosen. The PC AGM is set to begin Feb. 9. Baillie had already announced that he intended to step down as leader. No convention date has been announced yet.
Through the Tory caucus office, the Cape Breton Post requested to speak with Cape Breton’s PC MLAs but none responded to the request for comment. Former PC Premier Rodney MacDonald, now CEO of the Gaelic College, also declined comment.
Brett Hanham is PC constituency president for Sydney RiverMira-Louisbourg. Speaking on behalf of himself and not the constituency association, Hanham said Thursday he was also reluctant to comment without knowing more details about the situation.
“The situation caught, I think, everyone by surprise,” he said. “You put your faith in someone like that and you support them and you back them as leader and potential premier. To have this come out, it’s a complete shock.”
Hanham did say he was pleased with the action taken by the party in responding to the complaint, launching a thirdparty investigation and acting quickly on its findings.
“It’s what you hope to see happening — when these complaints are made that they are immediately responded to,” Hanham said.
As for the upcoming leadership race, MacRae said both declared candidates, Pictou East MLA Tim Houston and
Kings North MLA John Lohr, are strong. However he added he hopes Cape Breton Regional Municipality Mayor Cecil Clarke — who has been testing the leadership waters and for whom MacRae has served as campaign manager in the past — will throw his hat in the ring.
When asked whom he would support for the leadership, Hanham made reference to someone who hasn’t officially yet become a candidate.
“I’m waiting to see where that goes before I make any decisions,” he said. “You can guess.”
Clarke did not respond to a request for comment on Baillie made through his office’s spokesperson Thursday.