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 […]
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.
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 […]
‘The rift is getting bigger and bigger’: some Conservatives worried about party unity once ‘pretty nasty’ leadership campaign ends
The ongoing, divisive Conservative leadership campaign is causing serious concerns about party unity for some current and former senior Conservatives who say one of the key tests of the new leader will be to keep the party united. “The rift is getting bigger and bigger,” said Bert Chen, a former Ontario national councillor, in an […]
If you’re looking for a leader in Harper’s mould, look to Charest
As the Conservative leadership campaign shifts gears, voters will soon choose which name to scribble at the top of their ballot. For many Conservatives, Stephen Harper remains the paragon of a leader who successfully balanced strong governing abilities with popular appeal. Commanding and steadfast, Harper set the standard for his future successors. And while many […]
The economy leaves COVID behind as a make-or-break political issue
OTTAWA—We knew how to stop the economy to slow Canadians’ interactions during the pandemic, but restarting it is a lot harder, Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem has pointed out. The central bank, which is expected to raise interest rates again this week, now finds itself at the centre of the firestorm over affordability and […]
