Quebec was not the only wall in his way
Businessman Kevin O’Leary says he is pulling out of the campaign to succeed Stephen Harper because he is not convinced he could carry enough votes in Quebec to beat Justin Trudeau in the 2019 election. Fair enough. But chances are he would never have had the opportunity to test that proposition in a general election. […]
Kevin O’Leary drops from Conservative leadership race, backs Maxime Bernier
Businessman Kevin O’Leary, widely considered to be a front-runner in the Conservative Party leadership race, is bowing out of the contest in its final leg because he says his lack of support in Quebec would make it difficult for him to beat Justin Trudeau’s Liberals in the next general election. He’s thrown his support behind […]
Tory leadership candidates courting supply management group for support
Multiple candidates in the Conservative leadership race have reached out for support from the organizers of a politically active Facebook group in Quebec created to defend supply management. Staff on the campaigns for Andrew Scheer (Regina-Qu’Appelle, Sask.), Michael Chong (Wellington-Halton Hills, Ont.), and Steven Blaney (Bellechasse-Les Etchemins-Lévis, Que.) have contacted the administrator or one of […]
Less than a quarter of caucus undeclared in Conservative race, with a month to go
Less than a quarter of caucus members have yet to publicly endorse a candidate in the Conservative leadership race as the final month of campaigning begins. Their reasons for staying mum range from having multiple close friends in the race to opting to remain neutral due to their involvement in the leadership race organization. In total, […]
Ex-Hill staffers running Lemieux’s leadership campaign
With a grassroots-driven Conservative leadership campaign, former MP Pierre Lemieux is working to make sure social conservatives “know they have a voice moving forward” and a “seat at the table” as the party’s tent grows, says his campaign manager, Steve Outhouse. “We really want to try to communicate in particular to social conservatives and try […]
PMO hires a new executive assistant, another switches assignment
The Prime Minister’s Office recently hired Nour Kechacha as an executive assistant to both PMO senior adviser Mathieu Bouchard and to director of administration and special projects Brett Thalmann. Until recently, Ms. Kechacha had spent the last year working as a legislative assistant to Liberal MP Marwan Tabbara, who was elected to represent Kitchener South-Hespeler, […]
Quebec’s 78 ridings ‘extremely important’ in Conservative leadership race: low membership numbers, easier to campaign in and lots of influence
Quebec’s 78 ridings will be “extremely important” in the outcome of the May 27 Conservative Party leadership race, say Conservatives. The ridings have low membership numbers, which make it easier to campaign in, but also have lots of influence compared to ridings in Western Canada and major urban centres where each Electoral District Association (EDA) could have more […]
Trump’s dairy offensive triggers barbs in Conservative leadership race
U.S. President Donald Trump’s shot at Canada’s dairy industry provided some fodder for Conservative leadership candidates to fight about last week. After Mr. Trump promised something would be done in reaction to what he called “very unfair” practices in Canada’s supply-managed dairy sector, Conservative leadership candidate Maxime Bernier wrote an open letter to the U.S. […]
Policy failure in Conservative Party leadership race
Re: “Conservative MPs criticize Gilmore for floating Conservative Party shakeup, take aim at his marriage to Liberal minister,” (The Hill Times, April 12, p. 1). On May 27, the Conservatives will elect their new leader. As a non-partisan Canadian, I am very disappointed with the far-right social policies proposed by the candidates and agree with Scott […]
Conservative MPs shouldn’t get their knickers in a knot over Scott Gilmore’s cross-country dinner tour
OTTAWA—Last week in these pages, a few Conservative MPs had their knickers in a twist because Maclean’s columnist Scott Gilmore proposed the idea of having a conversation about the state of the Conservative Party. Gilmore, an apparent Conservative Party member and spouse of federal Environment Minister Catherine McKenna, was lambasted by some for his intentions. They […]
