CPC policy process tweak lauded as way to hear more ideas, more often, from members
New wording added to the Conservative Party’s guidance on policy development is being lauded by party members, who see it as an avenue to make the party’s policy process more flexible and open to input from grassroots members. The change is a result of a constitutional amendment which passed with 77 per cent support at […]
Women have spurned Conservatives during COVID; party must put appeal to them ‘in the front window,’ say politicos
The Conservative Party trails the Liberal Party by a significant margin among women voters in what is widely expected to be an election year, and Leader Erin O’Toole will need help in order to win enough of them back in time, say Conservatives and pollsters. To close the gap, the Conservatives will have to find […]
Conservatives face tougher political terrain in push to convince voters party can deliver on climate action, say experts
Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole is facing headwinds battling public perception that his party isn’t serious about reining in emissions, a challenge, some experts say, that is unlikely to be easily overcome as he finds himself in a much different political environment. The Liberals are in a stronger position to question the credibility of the Conservatives’ […]
To win, O’Toole doesn’t need a bigger tent
OAKVILLE, ONT.—One of the most common bits of advice pundits like to offer to Canada’s Conservative Party is that it needs a “bigger tent.” As the CBC News’ Éric Grenier recently wrote, “If the Conservatives want to win the next election, they’ll need a broader coalition of voters behind them.” Always implied in this sort […]
Conservatives are looking at the trees when they should be designing a vision for the forest
CALGARY—After losing the last two elections, including one to the blackface guy, the Conservative Party is officially looking for that glow up. Whether or not this is a FaceApp transformation or one that requires reconstructive surgery remains to be seen. (Hope y’all didn’t think I forgot about blackface, ’cause unlike the rest of the pundit […]
To tackle Trudeau, O’Toole needs to go after Conservative sacred cows
OTTAWA—Where to start? So much has been written about the recently held virtual Conservative Party convention. The obvious takeaway is the leader is calling for change in approach and policy and a large portion of the party’s membership are resisting that appeal. In the immediate term, the prime benefactor of Conservative internal to-ing and fro-ing […]
Former PM Harper asked Vance about sexual-misconduct allegations, testifies ex-top aide
The Conservative government looked into the two allegations of inappropriate relationships against now-retired chief of defence staff Jonathan Vance before appointing him, but he may not have been as forthcoming about his conduct, former senior Tory aide told a parliamentary committee. In March 2015, then-prime minister Stephen Harper directly raised an allegation with Gen. Vance […]
If I were Peter MacKay, I’d hop a flight to St. Pierre and start brushing up on my French
HALIFAX—The Conservative Party of Canada has a problem that is harder to fix than picking cat fur out of Velcro. It can’t be fixed by having a youth wing, or not having one. It can’t be fixed by having electronic voting or using paper ballots. It can’t be fixed by adding new descriptors to the […]
Conservatives elect former Hill staffer, two-term Nova Scotia national councillor Batherson as party president, ‘and now the work begins’
Robert Batherson, a two-term national councillor and a former Hill staffer, was elected president of the Conservative Party of Canada on Sunday after the party’s virtual policy convention, succeeding Scott Lamb who did not seek re-election. “It was a good mandate and credit to the other candidates, Bert Chen, and Peter Aarsen, for standing,” said […]
Conservative Party initiates proceedings to dissolve Sloan’s riding association
The Conservatives have started the proceedings to dissolve the Ontario federal riding association that had endorsed ex-Conservative MP Derek Sloan during his 2019 election bid. Carlo Petracca, the president of the Hastings-Lennox and Addington, Ont., riding association, told The Hill Times the Conservative Party recently served a notice of intent that it was initiating the […]
