Nomination contenders 'appalled' as Steve Kent is tapped as Avalon Conservative candidate

A decision by the Conservative Party of Canada to appoint Steve Kent — a former PC MHA and municipal administrator with the City of Mount Pearl — as the party's candidate in the Newfoundland and Labrador riding of Avalon has two nomination contenders crying foul.

Goulds resident Branden O'Brien, a ship's captain with the Canadian Coast Guard, and Carbonear lawyer Jessica Babb had been waging an energetic nomination contest.

Both say they were encouraged to enter politics by Kent, who is the Atlantic Canada regional organizer for the Conservatives.

But on Sunday, on the same day that Liberal Leader Mark Carney launched a federal election campaign and announced that Canadians will go to the polls on April 28, the party exercised its right to appoint a candidate instead.

That's left O'Brien and Babb, along with their supporters, feeling shocked and frustrated.

The two unsuccessful nominees issued a joint statement on O'Brien's Facebook page on Monday morning.

"We are not only deeply disappointed but also frankly appalled by this decision, which undermines the democratic values our community deserves," the statement reads.

Babb told CBC News Monday morning she was "blindsided" following a 10-week effort that saw her spend thousands of dollars and convince more than 500 supporters to spend $15 each to sign up for the Conservative party.

"We were working hard. We were ready for it and it didn't happen," Babb said by telephone.

Her brother, A.J. Babb, said the decision to acclaim Kent as the candidate "is not the positive change that Canada needs."

A.J. Babb said he will not be voting for Kent, and is urging those who signed up for the party in order to support his sister to "do the same."

"Two young professionals who had taken weeks of time and effort to campaign in good faith that [the] democratic process would be followed, and a nomination vote would occur," A.J. Babb wrote on Facebook.

"We were disappointed and shocked that an individual who had actively supported Jessica to run would subsequently become acclaimed."

O'Brien and Babb said they championed a transparent and open nomination process, but said those principles were "disregarded" by the party.

Jessica Babb said she will remain a member of the Conservative party, but said "no comment" when asked if she will support Kent's campaign.

Kent is the former deputy mayor and mayor of Mount Pearl and represented Mount Pearl North in the House of Assembly for a decade. He served in senior cabinet roles, including health minister, and was deputy premier. 

He left provincial politics in late 2017 to become chief administrative officer for the City of Mount Pearl, but was placed on administrative leave by the city in the fall of 2019 over allegations of workplace harassment.

Kent quit his job as chief administrative officer in June 2020 before council could vote to fire him. There's ongoing litigation between the city and Kent related to his departure.

• Steve Kent's privacy breached by Mount Pearl's handling of Facebook messages, judge rules
• Facebook chats reveal clandestine planning between Steve Kent, 2 Mount Pearl councillors

Kent has not responded to messages left by CBC News. It's not clear why he decided to run in the riding of Avalon, and not Cape Spear, which includes the entire city of Mount Pearl.

The Liberal candidate in Avalon is Paul Connors, the executive assistant to the current MP, Ken McDonald. McDonald is not seeking re-election.

The NDP does not have a candidate listed on its website as of Monday morning.

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