Make-or-break May for Conservative contenders
OTTAWA—The Conservative leadership race has gotten real. Wannabe candidates have now fallen out of the competition and six “verified” candidates remain. Just to be clear, they have not been verified as clinically insane for putting their hand up to lead the Conservative Party of Canada, or any political organization for that matter. Rather, they have […]
Trudeau versus Blue Liberals?
OAKVILLE, ONT.—There’s lots of discussion these days about whether the federal Conservatives are moving too far to the right. And yes, I certainly get why that’s happening. But maybe we should also spend some time discussing whether the federal Liberals are moving too far to the left. It’s a point worth considering because, under the […]
‘She is literally birthing the party’s future as Pierre Poilievre’s most essential adviser’: Poilievre’s campaign buoyed by top political player, Jenni Byrne
Political campaign organizers normally don’t attract much attention when they make public appearances on behalf of their candidates. But Jenni Byrne is a unique political operative with a storied career in Conservative circles, and as a key adviser to Tory leadership front-runner Pierre Poilievre, she isn’t holding back. In an April 12 episode of CTV […]
Charest strategist Kheiriddin says Conservatives should ‘build a big tent,’ avoid appealing to ‘anger or fear’
Candidates running for the leadership of the Conservative Party who are hoping to “build a big tent” need to do that now, and not appeal to “anger or fear” during the race, according to Conservative commentator and strategist Tasha Kheiriddin. As the party plots its future and moves towards picking a new leader on Sept. […]
It’s still the Harper Party, a fact Poilievre is banking on
HALIFAX—Despite fawning praise from the usual suspects, the only thing Pierre Poilievre has going for him is the political death wish of the hard Right. And that may very well be why he becomes the next leader of the Conservative Party of Canada. Winning the political mud-wrestling contest of the party leadership is a universe […]
Trumpification of Canada playing out in Conservative leadership race
OTTAWA—The Trumpification of Canada is playing out before our eyes in the current Conservative leadership campaign. Make America Great Again is being replaced by the Pierre Poilievre slogan to make Canada free again. Ex-Tory minister Peter Kent, tweeted last week that there was still plenty of time in the race for “moderate conservatives to resist […]
Poilievre has ‘captured the attention of Canadians,’ but unclear if this will translate into a win, say politicos
Political observers say it’s still unclear whether the large crowds Pierre Poilievre is drawing to his rallies and his traction on social media will translate into votes for the Ottawa-area MP considered to be the front-runner in the federal Conservative leadership race. “What’s clear is that he can generate attention, he’s got eyeballs, he has […]
CPC race needs clash of policies, not personalities
Conservative Party leadership hopefuls are running out of time to throw their hats in the ring. The Easter long weekend is the last chance for anyone still mulling it over, or who has already said they’re going to make the leap to join, or to awkwardly back out. By April 19, those interested and eligible […]
Size doesn’t always matter, unless you know what to do with it
OTTAWA—You reap what you sow. I have always loved that statement because it is so absolutely true. Over the years, through good fortune, I have been asked to comment on all manner of political happenings. Over the last two weeks, the most frequent question I have been asked is, “what do all those big crowds […]
‘More than crowd counts,’ Charest campaign says it’s focused on membership sales, while Poilievre’s campaign attracts big crowds
Membership sign-ups play a critical role in the outcome of any leadership election campaign, and this is the reason why Jean Charest’s campaign has been focusing chiefly on signing up new members, not on “crowd counts.” “Even more than PR and crowd counts, what matters are membership sales, right,” said Michelle Coates Mather, director of […]
