Veteran Miramichi Conservative says MP Jake Stewart can't win
Two-time candidate Mike Morrison says the local party organization he helped build has been ‘decimated’
A two-time federal Conservative candidate in Miramichi says he doesn't think current party MP Jake Stewart can win again in a federal election that is expected to start within weeks.
Mike Morrison says he has contacted the office of Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre to advise them of what's happening but has had no response.
"I don't think he should be the candidate," Morrison said.
Morrison said the party organization he helped build has "tanked" because Stewart has alienated or cut ties with many Conservative supporters, including many of his own staff and volunteers who helped elect him.
The 79-year-old veteran political organizer and two-time candidate says Stewart is hiding from constituents and onetime allies, leading many to conclude not only that he'll lose the seat but that he should resign.
"Everything's gone downhill," Morrison said in an interview at his home. "It's gone right off the end. There's no credibility. It's very toxic. … Nobody can get any answers."
Morrison's son Shawn is one of several people who were fired from or quit Stewart's office.
Stewart is hiding from constituents and allies, leading to a 'toxic' atmosphere, Morrison says. (Pascal Raiche-Nogue/Radio-Canada)
In January, a House of Commons lawyer sent Shawn Morrison a cease-and-desist letter, telling him to stop contacting Stewart's wife and his office.
"People [are] coming up to me saying, 'They're trying to blame everything on the Morrisons,'" Mike Morrison said. "We did nothing.
"What's happened here right now has been created by Jake Stewart himself."
Stewart has not responded to repeated requests from CBC News for an interview.
The financial agent for the Miramichi-Grand Lake Conservative riding association, Denver Brennan, resigned in January citing a "toxic and manipulative atmosphere" in Stewart's office.
He named eight people who left jobs in the office or were fired over three years.
Morrison confirmed some of the departures and said they often had to do with Stewart's temper.
"These kids … were having mental distress there with what was happening," he said. "Make one mistake in a letter or something like that — it was the end of the world."
The result now is a local board and party organization he calls "non-functional," while former campaign donors will no longer support Stewart.
"We're in a mess today," Morrison said, "and here we've got an election coming."
Two spokespeople for Poilievre have not responded to questions from CBC News about the situation.
Morrison
says he received texts from Stewart with links to the band the Strokes,
which he took as mocking after Morrison himself suffered a stroke. (Jacques Poitras/CBC)
Morrison said he asked Kevin Price, New Brunswick's representative on the Conservative Party's national council, to take his concerns to Poilievre adviser Jenni Byrne.
Price "knows where we're coming from," Morrison said. "He understands what's happening here."
So far though, no one from Poilievre's office has contacted him.
Price did not respond to an interview request.
It's a sad development for Morrison, who helped build the local Conservative Party of Canada organization in Miramichi after the 2003 merger of the Canadian Alliance and Progressive Conservative parties.
He was the first candidate for the party in Miramichi, running in both 2004 and 2006.
He worked on the 2008 campaign that led to the party's breakthrough win with Tilly O'Neill-Gordon, who went on to serve two terms in Ottawa.
More recently, he was the financial agent for Stewart's 2021 campaign and helped organize an early visit to the riding by Pierre Poilievre after he became party leader, an event attended by almost 400 people.
Poilievre "couldn't get over the organization," Morrison said. "He fell in love with Miramichi."
He believed Stewart was in line for a possible cabinet position in a Poilievre government, representing a chance to get some federal attention for Miramichi.
But "something turned," Morrison said. "Jake become another person."
He pointed to text messages from Stewart linking to music videos by the band the Strokes — apparently mocking the fact Morrison suffered a stroke in December.
"I kind of felt belittled, betrayed."
But, he added, "what hurts me the most about it all is the volunteers, the donors, all the people like ourselves, board people over the years that worked to get us to where we were, OK — how that has been decimated."
"I feel sorry for them. They put their trust in Jake Stewart. I put my trust in Jake Stewart."
Morrison said he was speaking to CBC News because no one else was acknowledging the problem.
"At least somebody is listening. The party doesn't want to listen. The national party doesn't want to listen. People have a right to know what's going on."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Miramichi MP Jake Stewart faces party turmoil ahead of election
Financial agent quits, office closes, House of Commons sends warning to ex-staffer
A New Brunswick Conservative MP running for re-election this year is losing some of his supporters after a falling out with former staffers and resignations from the local party organization.
Jake Stewart, the MP for Miramichi-Grand Lake, recently had a House of Commons lawyer send a cease-and-desist letter to Shawn Morrison, a longtime Conservative who used to work in his office.
The letter, dated Jan. 30 and obtained by CBC News, was sent to Morrison after an exchange of fiery and sometimes personal social media posts between him and Stewart.
That came a few days after the financial agent for the Conservative riding association in Miramichi-Grand Lake resigned in an email to members of the association board.
Miramichi MP Jake Stewart faces turmoil with former supporters"My decision stems from a profound distrust in the current board and staff within MP Stewart's office," Denver Brennan wrote in a Jan. 24 email obtained by CBC News.
He also said the atmosphere at Stewart's office was "toxic and manipulative" and eight other people had left jobs with the MP over three years, though one of them, Aiden Ingersoll, appeared in a Feb. 11 social media photo with Stewart.
Stewart, a first-term Conservative MP and former provincial cabinet minister in the Blaine Higgs government, has been nominated as the party candidate for the federal election expected this spring.
He has not responded to text messages or to phone calls or an email to his office requesting an interview.
In one Facebook post in January responding to Morrison, the MP appeared to challenge him to a physical confrontation.
"My address hasn't changed," Stewart wrote, daring him to "bring it" and using a profanity to describe Morrision.
Morrison and Brennan would not do interviews with CBC News.
Kelly Wilson, the president of the Conservative riding association board, did not respond to requests for comment.
Meanwhile, Stewart's office on the King George Highway in Miramichi was closed for several weeks after the Christmas break, with a sign in the window citing "security reasons."
Stewart's office was 'toxic and manipulative,' according to a resignation email from a party volunteer. (CBC)
Stewart posted two photos on his social media accounts on Feb. 11 showing him greeting constituents at the office, and when CBC News photographed the office the next day, the sign was gone.
But Brunswick News reported the sign was back later in the day.
When CBC News visited the office again on Feb. 20, there was no such sign in the window, but the door was locked and no one responded to repeated rings on a buzzer.
Stewart took part in a community event in Miramichi the same day.
The cease-and-desist letter to Morrison was signed by Aleksandra Pisarek, a lawyer in the office of the House of Commons law clerk.
It says Morrison has engaged in "unwelcome, malicious and vindictive behaviour," including unwelcome contact with Stewart's staff and his spouse.
It asks him to "immediately cease and desist" and warns him that if he continues, "all possible legal recourses will be considered."
Two spokespeople for Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre did not respond to a request for comment. Kevin Price, the New Brunswick representative on the party's national council, did not respond either.
Stewart was first elected to the New Brunswick legislature in 2010 and was re-elected in 2014, 2018 and 2020.
He ran for the provincial Progressive Conservative Party leadership in 2016, placing fifth in the first round of voting.
Premier Blaine Higgs appointed Stewart minister of aboriginal affairs when the PCs formed a minority government in 2018, but dropped him from cabinet after winning a majority in 2020.
Stewart resigned as an MLA the following year to run federally and was elected MP for Miramichi-Grand Lake in the September 2021 election.
He was among the first MPs to endorse Poilievre for leader of the federal Conservative Party after MPs pushed Erin O'Toole out of the position in early 2022.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Darell Fowlie
Darell Fowlie works as Director of Parliamentary Affairs for House of Commons.Darell can be reached at 506-778-8448
- First name
- Darell
- Last name
- Fowlie
- Title
- Director of Parliamentary Affairs
- Telephone Number
- 506-778-8448
- Alternate Number
-
- Fax Number
- 613-996-8418
-
- Street Address
- 229 Wellington Street (view on map)
- Country
- Canada
- Province
- Ontario
- City
- Ottawa
- Postal Code
- K1A 0A6
- Department
- HOC-CDC
-
- House of Commons
- Organization
- 92483-92483
-
- Jake Stewart
Darell Fowlie's team
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aiden Ingersoll | Constituency Assistant | 506-778-8448 | 229 Wellington Street | Ottawa | Ontario |
| Andrew Dawson (2023) | Parliamentary Assistant | 506-778-8448 | 229 Wellington Street | Ottawa | Ontario |
| Andrew Russell (2022) | Parliamentary Assistant | 506-778-8448 | 229 Wellington Street | Ottawa | Ontario |
| Denver Brennan (2024) | Special Assistant | 506-778-8448 | 229 Wellington Street | Ottawa | Ontario |
| Eric Walls (2023) | Special Assistant | 506-778-8448 | 229 Wellington Street | Ottawa | Ontario |
| Ethan Brown (2023) | Intern | 613-992-5335 | 229 Wellington Street | Ottawa | Ontario |
| Jake Stewart | Member of Parliament | 613-992-5335 | 229 Wellington Street | Ottawa | Ontario |
| Julia Curtis (2022) | Administrative Assistant | 506-778-8448 | 229 Wellington Street | Ottawa | Ontario |
| Kateryna Orlova | Parliamentary Assistant | 613-992-5335 | 229 Wellington Street | Ottawa | Ontario |
| Madeleine Ashe (2022) | Administrative Assistant | 613-992-5335 | 229 Wellington Street | Ottawa | Ontario |
| Melissa Gilbert (2023) | Constituency Assistant | 506-778-8448 | 229 Wellington Street | Ottawa | Ontario |
| Michael Morrison (2024) | Chief of Staff | 506-778-8448 | 229 Wellington Street | Ottawa | Ontario |
| Piper Duffy (2022) | Administrative Assistant | 506-778-8448 | 229 Wellington Street | Ottawa | Ontario |
| Stephanie Cook | Constituency Assistant | 506-778-8448 | 229 Wellington Street | Ottawa | Ontario |
| Susan Brophy (2023) | Constituency Assistant | 506-778-8448 | 229 Wellington Street | Ottawa | Ontario |
Darell Fowlie fired by N.L. PCs over Larry's Gulch scandal
N.L. Tories hired Darell Fowlie to work on the party's re-election campaign
The PC Party of Newfoundland and Labrador has fired former Alward government official Darell Fowlie over his role in the Larry's Gulch cover-up controversy.
The party issued a one-line statement Wednesday saying it only recently learned of the scandal involving the altering of New Brunswick government documents.
"Due to information the PC Party of Newfoundland and Labrador was made aware of recently, the party has concluded its contractual relationship with Mr. Darell Fowlie," the statement says.
An investigation by Anne Bertrand, the province's information commissioner, concluded Fowlie and another PC-appointed deputy minister broke the province's Right to Information and Protection of Personal Privacy law in 2014.
As a favour to newspaper editor Murray Guy, Fowlie arranged for guest logs from the government-owned Larry's Gulch fishing lodge to be changed, removing a reference to Guy's trip there in July 2013. Another PC appointee, Greg Lutes, the deputy minister of tourism, was also involved.
Fowlie was Premier David Alward's deputy minister of communications from October 2010 to September 2013, when he left the New Brunswick government to work as a consultant preparing the New Brunswick PC Party's re-election campaign.
He recently signed on to work for the Newfoundland and Labrador PC Party's campaign ahead of November's election.
On Tuesday, party executive director Sharon Vokey confirmed "that we've hired Darell on" but said his role wasn't defined yet.
She wouldn't comment on whether the Larry's Gulch findings would affect his hiring.
The New Brunswick Liberal government has asked the Office of Public Prosecutions to look at Bertrand's report to decide if charges should be brought to court.
The violation of the act is an administrative offence that carries a maximum $10,200 fine.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
News Release
Office of the Premier
Premier announces deputy ministerial appointment
09 January 2013FREDERICTON
(GNB) – Gérald Richard has been appointed deputy minister of Education
and Early Childhood Development (francophone sector). The appointment is
effective Jan. 20.
Premier David Alward made the announcement today.
"I am confident that Gérald's experience, expertise and talent will
help support the efforts in the department," Alward said. "Staff will
benefit from his leadership as they continue to work together to rebuild
education and early childhood needs in the province."
Richard has a well-rounded career. He has held several positions in the
education system at the school and district levels. He became assistant
deputy minister of Education and Early Childhood Development in January
2011 and most recently served as the superintendent of the francophone
south school district in Dieppe.
Alward also thanked the outgoing deputy minister, Roger Doucet.
"I wish to thank Roger Doucet, who retires after more than 20 years of
service to the people of New Brunswick," Alward said. "As well, I remain
confident that the leadership team moving forward will help us rebuild
our province as we work to return to fiscal health and shift our efforts
toward a more focused, efficient and effective system of program and
service delivery."
Following is the complete list of deputy ministers, deputy heads and
presidents of Crown corporations (* denotes a change or addition):
Nancy McKay
Chief of Staff, Office of the Premier
Byron James
Clerk of the Executive Council and Secretary to Cabinet
Darell Fowlie
Deputy Minister, Office of the Premier
Dallas McCready
Deputy Minister, Strategic Initiatives, Executive Council Office
Greg Lutes
Secretary to the Policy and Priorities Committee of Cabinet, Executive Council Office
Judith Keating
Deputy Attorney General
Deputy Minister, Justice
Dale Wilson
Deputy Minister, Public Safety
Jane Garbutt
Deputy Minister, Finance (acting)
Deputy Minister, Human Resources
Sylvie Levesque-Finn
Deputy Minister, Government Services
President, Service New Brunswick
President, New Brunswick Internal Services Agency
Jean-Marc Dupuis
Deputy Minister, Transportation and Infrastructure
Phil LePage
Deputy Minister, Natural Resources
Jean Finn
Deputy Minister, Energy and Mines
Robert Rioux
Deputy Minister, Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries
Marc Léger
Deputy Minister, Health
Edith Doucet
Deputy Minister, Social Development
Tom Mann
Deputy Minister, Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour
Gérald Richard*
Deputy Minister, Education and Early Childhood Development (francophone sector)
Wendy McLeod-MacKnight
Deputy Minister, Education and Early Childhood Development (anglophone sector)
Denis Caron
Deputy Minister, Environment and Local Government
Margaret-Ann Blaney
President, Efficiency NB
Bill Levesque
Deputy Minister, Economic Development
President, Regional Development Corporation
Robert MacLeod
President, Invest NB
Kelly Cain
Deputy Minister, Tourism, Heritage and Culture
Carolyn MacKay
Deputy Minister, Healthy and Inclusive Communities
Patrick Francis
Deputy Minister, Aboriginal Affairs
Media Contact(s)
09-01-13
News Release
Executive Council Office
Premier announces senior leadership changes
05 September 2013FREDERICTON
(GNB) – Premier David Alward today announced changes to his senior
leadership team, allowing for an even greater focus on New Brunswick's
economic and resource development priorities.
“Creating jobs and strengthening the economy requires the right kind of
experience in the right place at the right time,” said Alward. “I am
confident that these changes to the senior ranks of the public service
will allow us to continue moving toward our goal of rebuilding New
Brunswick.”
Roger Clinch has been appointed chief of staff in the Office of the
Premier. As a former mayor, member of Parliament and senior manager in
the private sector, Clinch brings more than 25 years of leadership and
public sector experience to the role.
The following changes at the deputy minister level are being made in
support of government's key economic and resource development
priorities:
● Denis Caron, currently deputy minister of Environment and Local
Government, becomes deputy minister of Economic Development.
● Bill Levesque, currently deputy minister of Economic Development, becomes deputy minister of Natural Resources.
● Phil Lepage, currently deputy minister of Natural Resources, becomes deputy minister of Environment and Local Government.
In addition to changes designed to strengthen job creation and
strengthen the economy, further changes to the senior leadership team
are being made to provide continuity and to advance major reform areas
across government:
● Nancy McKay, currently chief of staff in the Office of the
Premier, becomes secretary to the Policy and Priorities committee of
cabinet and deputy minister for Intergovernmental Affairs and the
Women's Equality Branch.
● Daniel Allain, currently president and chief executive officer of
NB Liquor, becomes deputy minister, management and administration in the
Office of the Premier, effective Oct. 18. An executive search firm has
been engaged to recruit a new president and chief executive officer for
NB Liquor, as was recommended in the strategic review submitted to
cabinet in 2012.
● Darell Fowlie, currently deputy minister responsible for
communications in the Office of the Premier, begins a one-year leave of
absence to return to the private sector, effective Oct. 18. In his
absence, Christianna Williston will serve as the premier's director of
communications.
● Judith Keating, currently deputy Attorney General and deputy
minister of Justice, becomes chief legal advisor to the premier on
aboriginal and intergovernmental affairs and related issues. Guy Daigle
will act as deputy Attorney General and deputy minister of Justice until
a permanent replacement is recruited through an external search
process.
● Greg Lutes, currently secretary to the Policy and Priorities
committee of cabinet, becomes deputy minister of Tourism, Heritage and
Culture.
● Kelly Cain, currently deputy minister of Tourism, Heritage and Culture, becomes deputy minister of Human Resources.
● Kim Daley, currently deputy minister of Human Resources, becomes
deputy minister of Government Services, president of Service New
Brunswick and president of the NB Internal Services Agency.
● Sylvie Levesque-Finn, currently deputy minister of Government
Services, president of Service New Brunswick and president of the NB
Internal Services Agency, has decided to retire from the New Brunswick
civil service at the end of the year and will take on a special
assignment at the Executive Council Office until then.
Except where noted, all changes are effective in the month of September, 2013.
“I recognize the important contribution each of these dedicated public
servants has made to rebuilding New Brunswick,” Alward said. “Our
government is reinforcing our focus on creating jobs and strengthening
the economy and these changes will further that commitment.”
BIOGRAPHY: Roger Clinch
Clinch has more than 25 years of leadership and public sector
experience. He has worked at Xstrata Zinc in various leadership
capacities including most recently as manager of its operations in
Ireland. He has also served as a member of Parliament, the mayor of
Bathurst, and as a community volunteer. He holds degrees from St. Thomas
University and the Université de Moncton.
Following is the complete list of deputy ministers, deputy heads and
presidents of Crown corporations (* denotes a change or addition):
Roger Clinch*
Chief of Staff, Office of the Premier
Byron James
Clerk of the Executive Council and Secretary to Cabinet
Nancy McKay*
Secretary to the Policy and Priorities committee of Cabinet, Executive
Council Office and Deputy Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and the
Women's Equality Branch
Darell Fowlie (leave of absence)*
Deputy Minister, responsible for Communications, Office of the Premier
Dallas McCready
Deputy Minister responsible for Strategic Initiatives, Executive Council Office
Daniel Allain*
Deputy Minister, Management and Administration, Office of the Premier
Guy Daigle*
Acting Deputy Attorney General and Deputy Minister of Justice
Dale Wilson
Deputy Minister of Public Safety
Jane Garbutt
Deputy Minister of Finance
Kelly Cain*
Deputy Minister of Human Resources
Kim Daley*
Deputy Minister of Government Services
President, Service New Brunswick
President, New Brunswick Internal Services Agency
Jean-Marc Dupuis
Deputy Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure
Bill Levesque*
Deputy Minister of Natural Resources
Jean Finn
Deputy Minister of Energy and Mines
Robert Rioux
Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries
Marc Léger
Deputy Minister of Health
Edith Doucet
Deputy Minister of Social Development
Tom Mann
Deputy Minister of Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour
Gérald Richard
Deputy Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development (francophone sector)
John McLaughlin
Deputy Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development (anglophone sector)
Phil Lepage*
Deputy Minister of Environment and Local Government
Margaret-Ann Blaney
President of Efficiency NB
Denis Caron*
Deputy Minister of Economic Development
Robert MacLeod
President, Invest NB
Greg Lutes*
Deputy Minister of Tourism, Heritage and Culture
Patrick Francis
Deputy Minister of Aboriginal Affairs
Carolyn MacKay
Deputy Minister of Healthy and Inclusive Communities
Media Contact(s)
05-09-13
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