Erin O’Toole, you might just have a shot at this
OTTAWA—The early days of Erin O’Toole’s leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada seem to be going well. The roughest patch he has had thus far, and it is one many Canadians can relate to, was catching COVID-19 along with his wife. Thankfully, they recovered. When evaluating the beginning of a Conservative leader’s tenure, you […]
Conservative Party finalize nomination rules for its 217 unheld ridings
The Conservative Party on Saturday has finalized the nomination rules for the 217 unheld ridings for the next federal election, which could be held amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Anticipating that it might not be possible to hold in-person meetings in the vast majority of ridings across the country, the party has decided to let members […]
Some advice for party leaders in much-anticipated fall session
Parliament returns this week with Wednesday’s much-anticipated Throne Speech. Shortly thereafter, there will be at least one confidence vote, which will determine if there will be an election. I am still of the view that the likelihood of an election in the immediate term remains slim. We will see soon enough. As politicians from all […]
Short timelines, mail-in voting coming for Tory nominations in unheld ridings, say top Conservative sources
Conservative sources are predicting “compressed timelines and mail-in ballots” for the party’s pre-election nomination contests in the 217 ridings not held by Conservative incumbents, amid ongoing speculation that an election could come this fall or next spring. The Conservative Party’s communications office was not available to comment for this article last week. Senior Conservative sources […]
O’Toole names Bergen as deputy leader, as rookie MPs take on new roles
Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole unveiled his House leadership team Wednesday, tapping former Harper-era cabinet minister Candice Bergen to be his second in command. Speaking to reporters, Mr. O’Toole (Durham, Ont.) billed the group, which includes two rookie MPs, as a “government in waiting.” “I know these exceptional Parliamentarians will help grow our team and ensure […]
Ontario MPP Baber, former senior staffer Lantsman, and former candidate Willson said to be eyeing Conservative nomination in York Centre
The yet-to-be-scheduled byelection in York Centre is shaping up to be a high profile contest with prominent Conservative and Liberal figures testing the waters for seeking their party’s nomination in the GTA riding. In interviews with The Hill Times, Conservative sources mentioned the names of former senior Conservative Hill staffer and media pundit Melissa Lantsman; […]
29 of 92 Conservative MPs failed to deliver their own ridings to their endorsed leadership candidate
Roughly one-third of Conservative MPs who endorsed a candidate for the party’s leadership couldn’t deliver enough votes in their riding to put their choice on top, according to an analysis by The Hill Times. New leader Erin O’Toole (Durham, Ont.) scored a come-from-behind victory over Peter MacKay, who had the endorsement of a majority of […]
SoCons, alienated western Conservatives settle for O’Toole rather than MacKay
OTTAWA—Peter MacKay is no doubt very disappointed about losing the Conservative leadership race. But maybe he should actually be relieved. He at least will not be stuck trying to build a compelling, centre-right election case on an urgent basis for a party with apparently little or no interest in anything remotely progressive and beholden to […]
So you’ve won the Conservative Party leadership race—now what?
OTTAWA—Erin O’Toole, the determined underdog, is now the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada. He soundly defeated the originally heavily favoured Peter MacKay on the third ballot. O’Toole was successful by developing a plan that focused on him becoming the top second- or third-choice candidate of the field. His team seemed to realize, before […]
O’Toole’s pitch for inclusiveness a salve after losing election dogged by divisive internal issues, say strategists, MPs
Conservative MP Erin O’Toole’s victory speech delivered a “forward-looking” vision for the party, say political strategists and MPs, that offers a preview of how he will seek to straddle the disparate factions within its blue tent. The MP for Durham, Ont., clinched a thumping victory over former Harper cabinet minister Peter MacKay early Monday morning. […]
