N.S. Liberals accuse former member Fred Tilley of data breach

Fred Tilley, left, announced he was crossing the aisle to join the Progressive Conservatives on Oct. 22, 2024. (Source: CTV News Atlantic)

The Nova Scotia Liberals are accusing former member Fred Tilley of accessing party files one day before he crossed the aisle to join the Progressive Conservatives, but Tilley says the party is seeking to settle a political score.

Liberal Party president Margaret Miller says Tilley, who represents the Northside-Westmound riding, allegedly “accessed and misappropriated files” containing personal and proprietary information. Miller says Tilley accessed the files 24 hours before he officially joined the governing PCs on Tuesday.

“Within hours of discovering this privacy breach, the Party notified the RCMP and Elections Nova Scotia to conduct an investigation and pursue charges,” Miller said in a news release. “This is a serious violation of the privacy of the electors in Northside Westmount, as well as sensitive Nova Scotia Liberal Party data and one the Party takes seriously. Nearly 2,500 people in the Northside-Westmount area have been affected by the calculated and unethical actions by Mr. Tilley.

“As the rightful and sole owner of that information, the Nova Scotia Liberal Party will begin the process of contacting each individual to make them aware of this breach.”

In a statement, Tilley said he will "cooperate fully" with the RCMP if they request he do so.

"This is a reaction from the Liberal leader who admitted he felt betrayed," Tilley said. "It is unfortunate that the Liberal leader is attempting to weaponize the justice system to settle a political score."

Tilley, who was first elected in 2021, served as the caucus chair for the Liberals. He said he discussed the possibility of joining the PCs weeks before he made the change.

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