Nice guys can finish first in this era of Canadian politics
OTTAWA—The Conservative leadership race is finally done and, true to form, in this marathon contest the ending was not as predicted in the closing weeks. There were lots of suggestions that Maxime Bernier was going to win. Instead the victory went to Andrew Scheer. While the opponents of the Conservatives run the predictable attack that […]
Conservative caucus rallies around Scheer; Bernier knew unity would have been tough for him, says Clement
Despite his tight victory, Conservative caucus members say they are unified in their support for new party leader Andrew Scheer, something Maxime Bernier was anticipating to be a challenge for him had he won, according to an MP who worked on his campaign. Tony Clement (Parry Sound-Muskoka, Ont.), who initially ran for the leadership himself […]
‘We’re the party of everyday Canadians,’ Scheer tells energized Conservative caucus on Parliament Hill
PARLIAMENT HILL—Monday morning before the House convened for the day, newly-elected Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer gathered members of his caucus of 99 MPs and 38 Conservative Senators in Centre Block’s Railway Room to lay out the direction of the party, both inside Parliament and beyond, and reinforced the party’s commitment to balanced budgets, repealing the […]
Whoever is leader, Conservatives need better communications to challenge Trudeau
TORONTO—While writing this column, Conservatives were still looking for a new leader. Nonetheless, it doesn’t matter who is going to be the successor of Stephen Harper at the helm federal official opposition party. Personally, I believe that Maxime Bernier would be the best candidate to challenge the present Liberal government of Justin Trudeau. Of course, […]
Social conservatives have chosen, and it’s Andrew Scheer and his perma-smirk
TORONTO—Smirk. The economy. Justin Trudeau. Free speech. His deceased mother. ISIS. On every subject, no matter how sad or serious, Andrew Scheer would smirk. It was, well, weird. His rictus was so off-putting, we started to forget what he was actually saying. Which, for him, was pretty fortunate. Minutes after he won the Conservative Party […]
Social conservatives propel Andrew Scheer to Conservative leadership
The new Conservative Party leader owes his leadership election win, in large part, to the social conservative vote, and now it’s Andrew Scheer’s turn to deliver for social conservatives or the Conservative Party may lose their support in 2019, says a rival candidate. “Frankly, looks like my voters were part of [what] put him over the […]
Scheer wins Conservative leadership race: results by ballot
Place Candidate name Round 13 1 Andrew Scheer 50.95% 2 Maxime Bernier 49.05% Place Candidate name Round 12 1 Maxime Bernier 40.38% 2 Andrew Scheer 38.36% 3 Erin O’Toole 21.26% Place Candidate name Round 11 1 Maxime Bernier 36.57% 2 Andrew Scheer 30.28% 3 Erin O’Toole 18.85% 4 Brad Trost 14.3% […]
Conservative leadership frontrunners’ hospitality suites boast biggest crowds, run late into the night
TORONTO—Saturday morning was a slow start at the federal Conservative leadership convention, as many attendees recovered after hopping from party to party Friday night. Hospitality suites offered by candidates at the convention attracted many of the party’s big names. After candidates’ speeches went on for more than two hours, party members, candidates, and campaign teams […]
Conservative leadership convention projects ‘united’ front, but some attendees admit to nervousness, uncertainty in the ranks
TORONTO CONGRESS CENTRE—Members of the Conservative Party attending the leadership convention in Toronto say they are feeling “upbeat,” “excited,” and “nervous” as the outcome of this two-day gathering will set the future direction of the party, and play a large role in determining if the party will be able to unseat Justin Trudeau’s Liberals in […]
Bernier wants to scrap it, but poll suggests majority of Conservative voters back supply management
Libertarians, despair: a new poll shows support for Canada’s supply management system, even if Canadians are told it takes a toll on their pocket-books. Three of every four Canadians polled said they approved when asked to evaluate the agricultural system, described as follows: “Canada protects its dairy and poultry industries from foreign imports with tariffs […]
