The campaigners
Members of the Conservative Party of Canada are gearing up to choose their next leader on May 27. With 14 contenders vying to replace interim leader Rona Ambrose, candidates and their teams are making a last-ditch effort to get their messages out during the race’s final stretch. The party kicked off the leadership race in […]
Digital campaigns say they’ve convinced thousands to try to swing Conservative leadership contest to the centre
A network of amateur, online political campaigns is preparing to release a mock ballot for the Conservative leadership race to thousands of supporters in the party, in an effort to swing the contest away from candidates Kellie Leitch, Kevin O’Leary, and social conservatives in the race. Organizers behind the digital campaigns, involving websites, social media accounts, and […]
Raitt campaign reaching out to members in leadership race final stretch
One of only two women in the race to become the next leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, Conservative MP Lisa Raitt is focused on reaching out and speaking to “as many members as possible” by phone and in person in the lead-up to the May leadership convention, says campaign manager Jessica Oliver. “She’s on […]
Prime Minister Trudeau preferred leader to guide country ‘through a major crisis’: poll
OTTAWA—Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberals would be supported by 38 per cent of the population if an election were held today, compared to 29 per cent for the Conservatives and 19 per cent for the New Democrats, according to a Campaign Research survey of 1,970 people. The Liberals are also most popular with 18-24 year olds (45 per […]
Conservative leadership race enters ‘horse-trading phase’ and candidates are making deals
With the Conservative leadership campaign in the home stretch, candidates and their top strategists are now reaching out to Parliamentarians, rival leadership candidates’ campaign officials and supporters, and building alliances for second-, third-, and subsequent-ballot support as none of the 14 candidates is likely to win on the first ballot in this close contest. “The […]
Rejection of electoral reform may prove catastrophic for Trudeau and Liberals, says Ottawa reader
Re: “Disappointed by Trudeau’s broken promise on electoral reform,” (The Hill Times, letter to the editor) and “Liberals concerned about PMO’s handling of electoral reform and cash for access issues,” (The Hill Times, Feb. 13, by Derek Abma and Abbas Rana.) Of Canada’s three major political parties—Liberal, Conservative, the NDP—and two minor parties—the Bloc, the […]
Values, sure, but why does Leitch get to decide what they are?
OTTAWA—Since when did Kellie Leitch get to decide what Canadian values are and which ones were important to ask immigrants about? To her credit, she claimed the territory as her own. After several weeks of vagueness, she outlined five values—just five—even though they have been changing over the weeks, perhaps with the degree of scrutiny. […]
Bernier gets endorsements from Alberta legislators
Conservative leadership candidate Maxime Bernier last week announced some new support from the heart of Conservative country—Alberta. He announced endorsements from seven Wildrose Party Members of the Legislative Assembly, being Scott Cyr, Jason Nixon, Rick Strankman, Wes Taylor, Angela Pitt, Don MacIntyre, and Leela Aheer. He also snagged support from one Progressive Conservative MLA, Mike […]
Conservative MPs criticize Gilmore for floating Conservative Party shakeup, take aim at his marriage to Liberal minister
A handful of Conservative MPs are challenging Maclean’s columnist Scott Gilmore’s cross-country discussion tour on the state of the Conservative Party, questioning Mr. Gilmore’s motives and experience with the party. However, several well-known conservatives say Mr. Gilmore is right to warn that the rhetoric coming out of the party’s leadership race misses the mark for centrist […]
‘I hope he will stay,’ Bernier would consider O’Leary as Finance minister if he wins leadership and government
Conservative leadership candidate Maxime Bernier won’t say if he’s willing to work within a Kevin O’Leary-controlled Conservative caucus, but he is open to making Mr. O’Leary his Finance minister. “I think Kevin O’Leary would be a good Finance minister,” Mr. Bernier (Beauce, Que.) said in an interview at The Hill Times’ office last week. “I […]
