Bruno Uggenti says there are still “a good number of Liberals” left to turn the Hamilton Mountain riding red despite the scandal involving SNC-Lavalin that is rocking the federal party in Ottawa.

“Liberal policies have benefited Canadians,” said Uggenti after he won the nomination Feb. 20 over Liberal organizer and academic Shubha Sandhil and teacher Anthony Macaluso.

“Those people will remember what those Liberal policies have done for them.”

Uggenti defended Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s actions during the scandal that claims the former Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould was pressured by figures in the Prime Minister’s Office to direct the Public Prosecution Service of Canada to draft a deferred prosecution agreement for the global engineering firm SNC-Lavalin.

"Those people will remember what those Liberal policies have done for them," said Hamilton Mountain federal Liberal candidate Bruno Uggenti.

A deferred prosecution agreement would have allowed the company to avoid criminal prosecution on bribery and fraud charges related to contracts in Libya. Wilson-Rayboud has said she remains bound by client-solicitor privilege and can’t comment. She quit Trudeau’s cabinet last week.

“The (prime minister) has been very forthcoming” in talking about the issue to the public, said Uggenti.

As to whether an inquiry should be held to clear the air, Uggenti said he wasn’t "in a position to comment” after just winning the nomination.

The NDP introduced a motion to have a public inquiry into the allegations, but it was defeated by the Liberal majority 160 to 134.

Meanwhile, Uggenti told the 50 people left in the room after the vote at Michelangelo’s Banquet Centre that it was time to unite the party and add Hamilton Mountain to Hamilton West-Ancaster-Dundas and Hamilton East-Stoney Creek ridings that are represented by Liberal MPs.

“I’m excited about the upcoming campaign and the election,” said Uggenti after the results were announced. “I want to make sure there is a Liberal seat and voice in Ottawa that is reflective of our community.”