Jonas Smith isn’t finished with politics yet – despite being dismissed as a candidate by the Conservative Party of Canada over his views on mandatory vaccines and vaccine passports.

Smith was told he was disqualified as a candidate late last week by party officials.

That was formalized over the weekend, Smith told the Star this morning, despite his last-minute efforts to come to some kind of compromise solution.

As a result, he has decided to run as an independent candidate in the election called Sunday by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

He said he hopes to attract disaffected Conservative supporters to his cause.

Smith also said he hopes to lure voters from other parties, particularly Liberals unhappy with the choice of Brendan Hanley as a candidate.

“I believe I can run as an alternative for the people,” Smith said.

He acknowledged most independent candidates have little chance of election unless they are in unusual circumstances, such as Jody Wilson-Raybould in British Columbia.

She won re-election in 2019 after breaking ranks with Trudeau and the Liberals in a very public spat.

Smith said he sees some comparisons between himself and Wilson-Raybould in that they have encountered difficulties with party discipline and partisanship while sticking to their principles.

Smith said he still finds the actions of the Conservative party very difficult to comprehend.

He had made no secret that he views mandatory vaccination in some job sectors as unacceptable, as well as vaccine passports.

Smith said he considers vaccine status to be part of an unalienable right to privacy and security of the person.

“I support vaccination,” he said. “My kids are vaccinated.

“But people shouldn’t have to be forced to tell strangers about their medical history (for employment or other purposes),” Smith said.

“That’s my belief. Medical information shouldn’t be disclosed. It’s a privacy issue.”

Smith said he was more confused with what the party was telling him after listening to leader Erin O’Toole issue a statement over the weekend expressing much the same sentiments.

“I don’t know where to begin with how I feel,” he said. “I refused to change my views last week when they asked me to, then he makes those comments.”

On Sunday, O’Toole skirted around national media questions about whether his party is insisting its candidates be fully vaccinated.

Smith said he also couldn’t explain how he managed to get this far into the process and through the party vetting before the issue became a problem.

The party officials who initially grilled him last week didn’t have the authority to strip him of his candidacy, but they said he was gone after the back-and-forth discussion.

Smith said Conservative supporters in the Yukon riding association were “quite upset” over the situation.

He said he had heard from numerous party members and association members who said they were furious over the lack of consultation by the national party over the issue.

Smith wouldn’t name names, but said he has been contacted by association board members who have resigned their positions over the issue.

Many party members, he added, had contacted him over the weekend to say they didn’t want to nominate another candidate for the election as a gesture of protest.

The Star’s efforts to contact the Yukon Conservative Association to confirm what Smith said have gone unanswered so far.

Smith said he will concentrate on getting his name placed on the ballot as an independent candidate as soon as possible. He will start his campaign as soon as possible as well.

He said he has more than enough financial support to run a vigorous campaign without party backing.

So far, Smith – who almost beat retiring Liberal MP Larry Bagnell in the October 2019 election – would be one of two declared candidates.

Hanley spent the weekend in Dawson City, taking the Discovery Day festivities, his campaign manager, Moira Lassen, said in an email.

He has already started knocking on doors and laying plans to visit various communities.

The NDP unveiled its candidate today (see p. 3), while Yukon Green Party officials are set to announce their candidate on Wednesday afternoon.

The election will happen Sept. 20 after a 36-day campaign. That’s the shortest possible campaign length for a federal election.