Today's London Free Press article mentions the charge laid and eventual acquittal for me in a case of alleged death threats against Essex Conservative MP Jeff Watson. For those wishing the details, you can read this Windsor Star article. I have been asked questions about this situation in almost every interview I have conducted over the last several weeks. Most did not consider the details germane to this campaign unless the NO side continued to push the issue. I was informed by each media outlet that this story was being advanced by pro-Tory forces.

Reading about this in the Free Press today is very discouraging to me. Having already endured a two year wait to clear my name and the costs of the trial, both personally and financially, it seems like "Conservative operatives" and "sources" are determined to use this situation to somehow remove me from this campaign. An attempt to use the criminal justice system to accomplish what they couldn't politically is now being used by others to try and derail the YES campaign. They will be as unsuccessful today as they were in the past.

When I began this campaign, I did so with a goal of giving the grassroots a voice. With each passing day, that voice grows louder and stronger. "Dump the leader" campaigns of the past have often been conducted anonymously from the shadows. I made a conscious choice to make this an open and transparent process. I was advised by many not to do this, as it would permanently damage any future I might have in politics. While I took that advice to heart, I refuse to believe that openly advocating one position or another in a democratic party in Canada today is something a person should be afraid of.

When this campaign was started a month ago we were referred to as a small group of disgruntled conservatives. I take heart that the campaign has now grown to the point where we rate attempts at smears and dirty tricks. It speaks volumes about the work of dedicated YES supporters across the Province.

Yes, No or Undecided, Progressive Conservatives in Ontario should be able to speak their minds free of threats, smears and intimidation. That is what I believe and that is what I will continue to fight for.