Upcoming leadership election a defining moment for Conservative Party

After the ouster of Erin O’Toole as party leader on Feb. 2, the Conservative Party is about to embark on the challenging and important endeavour of electing a new leader. The outcome will not only determine if the Conservative Party is serious about winning the next election but also if the merger of the PC and Alliance parties that took place in 2003 will stay intact. In a nutshell, opponents of O’Toole were upset with him for saying one thing during the 2020 leadership election and doing another after winning. He ran as a “True Blue” conservative, but changed to a progressive conservative after winning. A majority of the party base and caucus members felt cheated by O’Toole’s pivot. So, the knives came out as soon as the election was over, and it was soon evident that he had to go. The campaign to find a successor has already commenced, though unofficially. As of last week, seven-term Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre was the only declared leadership contender. Four other candidates, including former Quebec premier Jean Charest, Conservative MP Leslyn Lewis, former cabinet minister Peter MacKay and Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown are also considering running. More could also declare their candidacies in the coming days. Poilievre is running a populist leadership campaign. With the so-called "Freedom Convoy" trucker protest which held the citizens of Ottawa hostage for more than three weeks, he not only openly supported the protesters, he also tried to harness the anger of the thousands of protesters. Some of the other caucus members from rural and Western Canada have done the same and most of them have already endorsed Poilievre’s campaign. In the words of veteran pollster, Nik Nanos, this is like catching “a tiger by the tail.” He said the strategy may work in the short term, but could backfire in the future. Until a few years ago, Canada was shielded from the angry populist politics of the United States which brought Donald Trump to power 2016, but all that has changed since the "Freedom Convoy." Canadians saw flashes of the anger towards Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the last federal election where protesters made regular appearances at his campaign rallies. Michael Wernick, former PCO clerk, warned MPs of all parties at a House committee hearing in 2019 that the political environment is so charged up that some politician could get killed. This polarization has only increased since then and his warning should be taken seriously. If the Conservatives choose a populist leader in the leadership election, it might help them in the short term but, could well become a problem for the party and for the country. But it could also make or break the future of the Conservative Party. Canada needs the best leader, not the loudest, and not one mired in misinformation, or a contributor to conspiracy theories. The Hill Times

Upcoming leadership election a defining moment for Conservative Party

Stephen Harper’s global director Shuvaloy Majumdar said to be eyeing coveted Calgary Heritage seat

Poilievre ‘putting his stamp’ on party by shaking up top echelons of Conservative ranks, say politicos

The secret to Tory unity

Stephen Harper’s global director Shuvaloy Majumdar said to be eyeing coveted Calgary Heritage seat

The fascists and the fanatics in Israel

Poilievre’s promise to expand seal hunt is dubious politics, bad economics

New energy era, new rules needed to develop responsible projects

ZEV sales targets must ride alongside infrastructure commitments

A new Harperian strategy?

Politicos question why Liberals are holding their fire against Poilievre

If Poilievre wins leadership, but fails to pivot to the centre, Quebec Tory MP Godin says he will ‘reflect’ on his own ‘future political life’

Conservatives need to vote wisely this time around

If Conservatives fail to win next federal election, party would split, say some Conservatives

‘The way we’re heading, we’re unelectable,’ says former Conservative Senator LeBreton

News

Get free news updates

Opinion

Submit a guest opinion article

resources

Advertise

subscribe

get help

Upcoming leadership election a defining moment for Conservative Party

Get The Weekend Point of View Newsletter