Former MLA who switched to PCs admits he took Liberal Party information

The Progressive Conservative candidate for the Cape Breton riding of Northside-Westmount admits he took information from the Liberals before he switched parties last month.

Fred Tilley was the Liberal MLA for the constituency, but crossed the floor to join the PCs just before Premier Tim Houston called a provincial election.

On Tuesday, Tilley told CBC's Information Morning Cape Breton that as a Liberal at the time, it was his information to take.

The data is not much different than what's available to all candidates who get a voters list, he said.

"At the end of the day, you have to look at where your support is, so in that list, it's all information that I garnered, knocking doors, making phone calls, day-to-day work in the office ... it's the work from 2021 that I did and beyond, so it's really my information."

Tilley said he has not used the information he took from the Liberal database before he left.

Premier Tim Houston downplayed the Liberal Party's complaints after MLA Fred Tilley crossed the floor and joined the PC Caucus on Oct. 22 at Province House. (Michael Gorman/CBC)

After he switched parties, the Liberals complained to Elections Nova Scotia and the RCMP about a privacy breach of their database.

They said he "misappropriated files" that contained "sensitive and personal and proprietary information" that belonged to the party, including the names, phone numbers and addresses of about 2,500 constituents.

The party said it was sending a letter to all those affected to warn them of the privacy breach.

The Mounties have launched an investigation.

Provincial elections officials say the issue is not in their jurisdiction.

Tilley said it's just his former party trying to get revenge on him for switching parties.

"Going down this road, sending out letters to constituents, calling the RCMP, it's all ridiculous," he said.

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