Brent Bush, whose run for the Kootenay Columbia seat as an Independent came as something of a surprise, has dropped a last minute bombshell.

Bush says he truly believes the Conservatives must be stopped and he believes the candidate with the best chance of that is NDP candidate Mark Shmigelsky, therefore he urges his supporters to throw their vote to Shmigelsky.

"More important than being an independent voice during this campaign is the threat to Canadian democracy posed by a Harper majority government," he said, "To the many Independents who have supported me - thank you. I hope you will see the wisdom of my decision."

See Bush's full statement in the Bulletin/Townsman special election coverage on page 10.

Shmigelsky himself says he is "overwhelmed and honoured" by Bush's decision.

"It's incredible actually. Brent is a great guy and he's done a good job on his campaign, bringing the Columbia Basin Treaty to the forefront. But I think he sees an opportunity for this riding to be progressive, to really work for families. I'm honoured to receive his endorsement.

"Brent is a dedicated public servant who is showing his love for his country and for this riding. We have been receiving amazing support during this campaign and I have been seeing first-hand how people in this riding want a change in representation in Ottawa.

"We've run a great campaign and Brent's endorsement keeps the momentum going."

Conservative candidate David Wilks had this to say:

"I find it interesting that a candidate who once stated that "Jack Layton seems to have forgotten that the people of Kootenay Columbia come first," is now backing the NDP. In fact, Brent went so far as to say "whenever the next federal election occurs it will be a time for NDP members and supporters alike to ask themselves whether or not they can follow Jack Layton's vision of the NDP."

"I agree. The NDP do not care about the concerns of the people living in Kootenay-Columbia. This is demonstrated by Jack Layton forcing his members to vote to keep the long gun registry, and why he told his members to vote against every single tax cut measure we put forward.

"It is clear that the only party that represents the needs of the people of Kootenay Columbia is the Conservative Party."