PCs look to move past tumult in Ottawa WestNepean

Ottawa Tories will gatherWednesday evening to celebrate the acclamation of their candidate in Ottawa WestNepean, marking the conclusion of nearly a yearof party infighting in the provincial riding.

Progressive Conservative candidateJeremy Roberts willreceive the official nod duringthe event.

"Tonight is a formality," said Roberts, who initially ran for the nomination last May, but lost to another candidate. "It will really be a campaign launch event tonight."

Longtime Conservative and PC politicians and supporters including Pierre Poilievre, Lisa MacLeod and MarjoryLeBreton are expected to attend the event atVilla Marconi to hear a speech byMPP Vic Fedeli, who was namedthe party's interim leader job after Patrick Brown resigned.

The controversyin Ottawa WestNepean began last spring when the nomination meeting was marred with allegations of fraud, corruption and fake membership lists.

• PC party urged to investigate fake party memberships
• Call to clean up corruption in nomination of Ottawa-West Nepean

In May, after party members complained toBrown and calls for an appeal were ignored, the entire riding association board resigned.

But when Brown resigned in late January, there were renewed calls to overturn the 2017 nomination of Karma Macgregor.

In early February, the party's provincial nomination committeedecided to re-open nominations in Scarborough Centre and Ottawa WestNepean.

Roberts, who hadlost the nomination by just 15 votes, decided to run again.

Macgregor attempted to appeal the nomination committee's ruling, but that appeal was rejected. Neither shenor any other candidate ran against Roberts for nomination a second time, leading to his acclamation.