Rempel Garner must be reading the tea leaves
OTTAWA—Michelle Rempel Garner must be reading the tea leaves. She was running the federal Conservative leadership campaign for Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown. And mid-way through the campaign, the Twitter-verse has been filled with stories that she will likely be leaving federal politics to run for the top job of Alberta’s United Conservative Party. Using Twitter as […]
Lewis’ leadership campaign ‘one to watch,’ say Nanos, McVety
Despite Conservative leadership candidate Pierre Poilievre being considered by most to have the contest locked up on the first ballot, analysts and supporters of the Leslyn Lewis campaign argue she has the potential to shake up not only the presumed top three front-runners but also the future of the party as a whole. “Poilievre, for […]
Veteran Conservative staffer Martin Bélanger exits the Hill after 16 years
After working under three Conservative leaders, and two interim ones, senior Conservative staffer Martin Bélanger officially bid farewell to Parliament Hill on June 10. Bélanger was most recently a deputy chief of staff and senior Quebec adviser in the Conservative Official Opposition Leader’s Office (OLO), to both former leader Erin O’Toole and interim leader Candice […]
The case against uniting the left
OAKVILLE, ONT.—A famous old adage says, “United we stand; divided we fall.” Yet, even though, most of the time, that’s an inspiring rallying cry, I’d argue that in politics, division is occasionally better than unity. For example, I believe it’s better for the Liberals to remain a separate political entity from the New Democrats. I […]
Conservative leadership candidates expected to challenge eligibility of ‘thousands and thousands and thousands’ of rivals’ party memberships
Conservative Party president Rob Batherson denies claims that the party is six to eight weeks behind in processing memberships, and says the leadership election will happen on time and the date won’t be extended.
A dive into the new Conservative House leader and whip teams
The Conservative caucus got a new House leadership team upon MP Erin O’Toole’s ouster as party leader in February, with Ontario MP John Brassard taking over as House leader and Alberta MP Blaine Calkins as whip, and in turn, there’s been some staff movement in both offices. Phil Bolduc, who had been chief of staff […]
Conservative leadership campaigns in ‘white-knuckle’ mode as they await membership list, shift gears to direct voter contact and persuasion
The Conservative leadership campaigns are entering a phase of research, direct voter contact, and persuasion once they can “tear through” the membership list, but remain in a “white-knuckle” mode until that list is released—something several campaigns say should happen immediately. “The most important people on the campaign right now and for the next couple of […]
Long live the king: content
OTTAWA—We need to talk about earned media and the insidious ways in which legacy and digital media platforms individuals. It’s one of the ways former U.S. president Donald Trump received wall-to-wall media coverage in the run-up to the 2016 election and throughout his presidency. It helped get him elected. The same is happening with Conservative […]
Playing the numbers game
OTTAWA—What is in a number? For example, the number 600,000—the unconfirmed and yet-to-be-denied figure that could represent the people who have signed up to be members of the Conservative Party of Canada for the forthcoming leadership vote. Since hearing the 600,000 figure, I’ve thought often of Saddam Hussein’s legendary information minister Muhammad Saeed al-Sahhaf, a.k.a. […]
Federal Conservatives should look to Ford’s Ontario campaign for a more pragmatic, open-minded approach, say strategists
Ontario voters responded to Doug Ford’s more collaborative, open-minded approach to politics by sending the Progressive Conservatives to a second straight majority, say both a Liberal and Conservative strategist, but it’s not clear if any of the leading contenders for the federal Conservative leadership are interested in following that model. Shakir Chambers, who worked under former […]
