‘Don’t be selfish,’ O’Leary says Conservative caucus members told him
Former Conservative leadership contestant and business tycoon Kevin O’Leary said he had to put aside his ego for the greater good of the party. He told The Hill Times in a May 16 interview alongside the candidate he’s now supporting, Maxime Bernier (Beauce, Que.), that some members of the Conservative caucus, “who will remain nameless,” gave […]
Ambrose leaves Conservative Party on a high note, brought party together after 2015 defeat and leaves it in good financial shape, say Conservatives
CHATEAU LAURIER HOTEL, OTTAWA—Interim Conservative leader Rona Ambrose, who announced Tuesday morning that she will resign her seat in the House before it breaks in June for the summer, is exiting on a high note and leaving the party in good financial shape for the next leader, say Conservatives. “As my time comes to an end I think it’s […]
From no-name policy wonk to leader of the Official Opposition: Rona Ambrose on her 13-year career in Ottawa
From no-name policy wonk to leader of the Official Opposition, Rona Ambrose has had an impressive 13 years in Ottawa. She became the youngest female member of Cabinet in 2006 at the age of 36, and says she had the most portfolios of anyone in the Harper-era government. In a summer 2016 interview, the Conservative […]
Conservative MP Lukiwski out of action after mini-stroke
If you’re wondering why you haven’t seen Conservative MP Tom Lukiwski on the Hill lately, it’s because he had a mild stroke last month and hasn’t been cleared to return to work yet. The federal legislator for Moose Jaw-Lake Centre-Lanigan, Sask., has been at home for the last few weeks, but he told The Hill Times he […]
Liberals pressing the personality advantage
OAKVILLE, ONT.—If I had to sum up the Liberal government’s communication strategy in just five words, I’d say, “Trudeau, Trudeau and more Trudeau.” My point being, of course, that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is by far the Liberal government’s most valuable public relations asset. In fact, my guess would be that the Liberal Party’s own […]
Scheer, Lemieux, Chong score endorsements as advocacy groups release mock ballots
MP Andrew Scheer won a juicy endorsement from Quebec dairy producers last week, one of several candidates in the Conservative leadership race to gain momentum from third-party advocacy groups proclaiming their picks. Mr. Scheer (Regina-Qu’Appelle, Sask.) got the nod from Quebec’s Les amis de la Gestion de L’offre et des Régions—friends of supply management and […]
Five things we learned from the latest Conservative leadership fundraising data
Former Senate Liberal Pana Merchant, who just retired at the end of March, appears to have made a donation of $199 to Andrew Scheer’s Conservative leadership campaign. The donation was made in the last quarter of 2016, on Dec. 12, returns from Elections Canada show. Ms. Merchant retired on March 31, though her office, which […]
O’Leary exit boosts Bernier, but race still ‘wide open’ as campaigns reach out for down-ballot support
Kevin O’Leary’s exit from the Conservative leadership race has altered its dynamics in favour of Maxime Bernier, but MPs supporting other leadership candidates say the race is still “wide open,” and campaign teams are reaching out to rivals in hopes of securing second-, third-, and subsequent-ballot support. “This is a wide-open race,” said four-term Conservative […]
O’Toole flies into the Danger Zone
Erin O’Toole has got a Top Gun type of thing happening lately with his social media campaign to become Conservative leader. On April 28, he posted a picture on both his Twitter and Facebook feeds of his head on a body of someone wearing air-force gear, standing in front of a fighter jet, with a […]
With O’Leary gone, Conservatives dodged a nuclear missile
OTTAWA—Kevin O’Leary, we hardly knew you! Your political career is over in the blink of an eye. You say it is because you were being selfless and putting the interests of the Conservative Party first. Some cynics, me among them, wonder if you were more concerned about the impact of a lost leadership on the […]
