Derek Zeisman, Conservative candidate for the B.C. riding of British Columbia Southern Interior, is facing jail time.

Conservative Party Leader Stephen Harper leaves a news conference in Halifax, Nova Scotia on Thursday. (CP / Tom Hanson)

Harper drops B.C. candidate, NDP eyes riding

Updated Thu. Jan. 12 2006 8:10 PM ET

CTV.ca News Staff

Voters in British Columbia's Southern Interior riding are wondering what their options are after a popular Conservative candidate has lost the party's endorsement.

Derek Zeisman, a former cross-border trade specialist, will go to trial next month on smuggling charges after trying to cross the border from the U.S. with a brand new luxury car and a trunk full of liquor.

He's since been dropped by the Conservative Party, but it's too late to take him off the ballot. He could run as an independent, but after the matter became public, Conservative Leader Stephen Harper made it clear that even if Zeisman wins he will not sit in the House of Commons as a Tory MP.

"It should have been incumbent on this candidate to reveal this information before he was nominated and before the matter became public," Harper said Thursday. "As a consequence of that I will say today that this candidate will not be sitting as a Conservative should he be elected."

But that leaves Conservative voters without a party-supported candidate in the riding, which is currently held by the Conservatives. Some who intended to vote Conservative now aren't sure where to place their support.

"I'd have to think long and hard if I'd even vote," one resident told CTV Vancouver.

"Last night's footage; I was shocked," said another.

And the publisher of a local newspaper, the Trail Daily Times, said it leaves a void.

"He was very popular in this race until quite recently," Barbara Blackford said.

The New Democrats narrowly lost the riding to the Tories in the 2004 election, and with Zeisman's fall from grace they have rising hopes of making it their own.

"We have a very strong campaign and candidate in that riding and we hope to win that seat," said New Democrat Leader Jack Layton.

CTV News reported Thursday that in July 2004, Zeisman was crossing into British Columbia from the United States, when Canada Customs charged him with attempting to smuggle in a Mercedes-Benz carrying 112 containers of alcohol.

Zeisman is also accused of lying to Canada Customs about the incident. He could end up in prison if convicted.

Harper said Zeisman underwent the party's usual screening process for candidates, and that a criminal background check was done. However, "this matter did not appear" during the check.

He said Zeisman should have revealed his legal problems before seeking the nomination. Harper stressed that this is not a criminal matter; "it is, however, a serious matter."

In an interview with CTV News, Zeisman didn't explain why he failed to tell his own party about the charges, and blamed someone in government for leaking the information.

Zeisman, who is running in the riding currently held by Conservative MP Jim Gouk, previously made national news for a serious car accident five days before Christmas.

He was driving from Trail to Castlegar, B.C. when his sport utility vehicle struck another SUV, landing him in hospital with a fractured pelvis, a broken femur, three broken ribs and a collapsed lung.

Zeisman is still in hospital and would not agree to an interview. However, he did speak with CTV News off-camera Wednesday.

"I have had nothing to hide during this campaign and those charges which were not even criminal charges are unjustified," Zeisman said. "And when I have my day in court, I am very confident that I will be exonerated.

"I have no doubt about that whatsoever, but you know, again, I hope we still live in a democratic country where people are allowed to have their day in court before they're found guilty in the court of public opinion."

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