Eve Adams aims to challenge Joe Oliver

Former Conservative MP Eve Adams, who crossed the floor to join the Liberal Party on Monday, has announced her intention to seek the nomination in Eglinton—Lawrence and take on Conservative finance minister Joe Oliver.

Adams made the announcement during a televised interview on CP24 this morning, saying she intends to win the nomination and then take on Oliver in a federal election expected in October.

“It’s critical to reach out and take back riding after riding that has now gone Conservative and bring them back into the red fold,” she said on-air. “It’s going to take hard work at the local riding level — one riding after another — and that’s how we’re going to form government again.”

Her bold announcement is not sitting well with Eglinton—Lawrence MPP Mike Colle, himself a Liberal who has represented the riding provincially for 20 years. He declared she would run as a Liberal there “over my dead body.”

In a separate interview on CP24 he said he’s heard Ottawa is “not too happy” with him speaking up, but that he doesn’t think Adams, who represented Mississauga-Brampton South before running afoul of the Conservative party, had been given good advice and that the local constituents shouldn’t have someone forced on them.

“Just the way the whole thing came down seemed really unusual,” Colle said in the CP24 interview. “Someone that was rejected by the Conservatives — not good enough for them — then all of a sudden embraced by the Liberals?

“I don’t think it looks good from an ordinary person’s point of view, beside the politics.”

Adams ducked a question related to Colle’s remarks. For her connection to the community, the Sudbury native cited volunteer experience in the riding and having family live there, but said she’s looking forward to the “hard work and heavy lifting” to become a “strong advocate” for the community.

“I’m here to work awfully hard and to advocate for [the constituents],” she said. “The main goal after this nomination is to all pull together, stay focused on the core item, which is to defeat Canada’s finance minister, and paint Eglinton—Lawrence red again.”

Lawyer Marco Mendicino has been campaigning for the nomination already.

Oliver released a statement brushing the announcement aside, saying he intends to focus on his work, as the Liberal Party still has yet to formally nominate a candidate.