Despite Vic Toews’ recent divorce in this ultra conservative riding, the free BBQ the Provencher Conservative Riding Association hosted at a park in Steinbach, MB was well attended. This free BBQ is an annual event and was much better attended this year than last. The high attendance is a surprise to some who believed that his divorce, along with the media stories regarding his infidelity & fathering a child out of wedlock with a much younger woman (Calgary Herald, Saturday, May 17, 2008) would dampen his ability to command another victory in Provencher.

In January, Stephen Harper shuffled him from the high-profile Justice portfolio into the influential but less noticeable job of Treasury Board President. The move puzzled me and many other conservatives. It was seen as a demotion, even though Conservatives seemed to like Toews as Justice Minister. I liked him as Justice Minister. In March it became clear why he had been moved, as his wife of 32 years filed for divorce with an uneven split of assets in her favour. The move was to distance him from the spotlight and minimize damage to Stephen Harper who obviously had prior knowledge of Mr. Toews extra-marital affair.

It was in March when this information hit the local papers, that the Conservative Riding Association started to discuss if Vic Toews was still the candidate they felt best represented them in Provencher. Mr. Toews plead his case to the board and stated he would not step down despite his divorce proceedings. After doing some local polling, the Conservative Riding Association decided to stick with Mr. Toews. After seeing the turnout of hundreds at the BBQ, it appears the board made the right decision.