OTTAWA — In a reversal of political fortunes, the Canadian Alliance lost a Quebec riding association Tuesday when it defected to the Progressive Conservatives.
The Alliance delighted just a year ago in welcoming a wave of disenchanted Tories into its swelling ranks.
But the seven-member riding association from Charlevoix, Quebec, on the north shore of the St. Lawrence, announced Tuesday it will swim against that tide.
The members — including former Alliance candidate Pierre Paradis — unanimously decided to switch loyalties last week.
They’re fed up with Alliance Leader Stockwell Day and the apparent disinterest shown them by party executives, said Marc Deslauriers, a riding executive.
Deslauriers said the “last straw” came when former Reform leader Preston Manning recently announced he would retire by year’s end.
The Alliance is still too focused on the West to be a truly national party, he added.
