BARRIE

PC committee reviewing allegations of voting irregularities in nomination contests

The Canadian Press Published Friday, February 9, 2018 4:16PM EST

Ontario PC party interim leader Vic Fedeli speaks after a caucus meeting at Queen's Park in Toronto on Friday, January 26, 2018. Fedeli has been named interim leader of Ontario's Progressive Conservatives after Patrick Brown's resignation in the face of sexual misconduct allegations. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

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TORONTO -- Allegations of voting irregularities have prompted the Progressive Conservatives to have a committee review certain disputed candidate nomination contests.

The Canadian Press has learned the party's Provincial Nominations Committee will meet tonight to examine the allegations and could overturn the results of the contests or maintain the status quo.

Tory candidates in three ridings where nominations have been disputed -- Scarborough Centre, Ottawa West-Nepean, and Newmarket Aurora -- have released a statement asking for the party's review to be halted.

Thenusha Parani, Karma Macgregor and Charity McGrath say the allegations are based on "rumours and innuendos."

The candidates are asking interim leader Vic Fedeli and the party's three leadership candidates to end the review and focus on the provincial campaign.

The review comes as the party deals with the discovery of a significant discrepancy in its membership numbers. An email recently sent to the Tory caucus and obtained by The Canadian Press showed that the party has roughly 67,000 fewer members than the 200,000 claimed by former leader Patrick Brown.