There are just two weeks until the Conservative Party of Canada announces its new leader on September 10. While almost half the ballots have already been cast, the five candidates – Pierre Poilievre, Jean Charest, Roman Baber, Scott Aitchison and Leslyn Lewis – are busy rallying support in a final push to get out the vote. The race to become the party’s next leader began in early February when Erin O’Toole stepped down from the top job. Candidates for the position then had to pay the necessary registration fees and submit signatures from 500 party members in April to get their name on the ballot. Ballots were sent to a record number of party members in early July and must be returned by September 6. Some 326,000 ballots have been returned as of Thursday, according to party spokesman Jaroslav Baran. With the countdown, CTVNews.ca has put together a compilation of key moments from the match.
HISTORICAL NUMBERS OF MEMBERS
In late July, the party announced that its final membership list had reached nearly 679,000 people, claiming that this number makes the Conservative Party the largest party in Canadian history by membership. Baran said by then membership had quadrupled from last year. Every province and territory saw its membership at least double, he said — while the number quadrupled in Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick and British Columbia. The number of ballots returned so far has already exceeded the number of votes cast in the 2020 leadership election. Party president Robert Buderson said in a statement in July that the “massive increase in membership” demonstrates the excitement the race has generated and “the momentum for a change of government in Ottawa.” The party declined to release the number of members sold by individual leadership campaigns, so it is unknown whether any candidate can take responsibility for the increases in some areas. But Pierre Poilievre claimed in June his campaign had sold nearly 312,000 subscriptions.
CHAREST AND POILIEVRE ARE PERCEIVED AS DEFENDERS
The race appears to have two front-runners: longtime MP Pierre Poilievre and former Quebec premier Jean Charest. Poilievre, who has been an MP for 18 years, has campaigned on a message promising freedom for Canadians and getting rid of the “gatekeepers”. The Ottawa-area MP has drawn the largest crowds of any of his rivals since announcing his candidacy in February and claims he has the support of a majority of the federal Conservatives. In July, former Prime Minister Stephen Harper endorsed Poilievre, saying in a video released on Twitter that Poilievre has made the “strongest case” to be able to bring in new party members and win the next general election. But Poilievre has also been the primary target of condemnation from many politicians and pundits, who criticize his populist policies and demonetization of certain institutions, such as the Bank of Canada. Charest, for his part, has been endorsed by 16 MPs since July and is widely seen as the more moderate candidate, campaigning on his record as a former premier of Quebec. The two front-runners have focused many of their attacks on each other throughout the race, with Pouliev accusing Charest of being a Liberal and Charest saying Poulievre should be disqualified from the race for supporting the truck convoy in February. According to a Leger poll released in August, Poilievre is the clear favorite among CPC members, while Charest has more support among Canadians overall. The split could mean challenges in the next general election, Leger executive vice-president Christian Bourque told The Canadian Press, depending on who becomes leader and whether they can unite the party to topple the Liberal government. Charest has not said whether he would still stand as a Conservative MP in the next general election if he loses the leadership.
PATRICK BROWN’S RESPONSE
In early July, Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown was disqualified from the leadership race following “serious allegations of wrongdoing.” Brown initially said he would resist what he called “ghost allegations” and insisted his campaign “didn’t do anything wrong.” But Debra Jodoin, a longtime Conservative organizer, later released a statement through her lawyer alleging that Brown was involved in having a third-party company pay her for work she did on his campaign. A panel that reviewed Brown’s ouster later concluded the party had enough evidence to disqualify him, The Canadian Press reported. Brown has since announced his candidacy for re-election as mayor of Brampton. Conservative strategist and president of Texture Communications Melanie Paradis told CTV News Channel in July that it would be very difficult to predict how Brown’s disqualification could affect the race because voting is weighted by riding, as opposed to a first-past-the-post system. towards one. “It will be very interesting to see how this pans out,” he said. “Where are these voters going? Are the people he recruited going anywhere? Or will they leave? In this case, that would completely change the math on the points in each riding,” said Paradis. Brown’s name is still on the ballot, however, because the party “just [didn’t] they have time to do a reprint” of the nearly 679,000 ballots while ensuring voters have time to return their completed ballots by the Sept. 6 deadline, party chairman Robert Budderson told CTV News Channel in July.
DISCUSSIONS MISCELLANEOUS
Since May, the candidates have participated in three formal debates. The first official English-language debate in mid-May promised to focus on politics but drew strong criticism of its format. The debate featured a sad trombone sound effect as candidates broke any number of debate rules and questions about pop culture preferences, from favorite TV shows to music and books, while candidates had to hold up their paddles when they wanted to speak. During the French-language debate a few weeks later, the candidates took the opportunity in what they believed could be the last formal debate to make sharp attacks on their opponents. But after Charest pushed for a third formal debate, arguing that new party members would benefit, the party was held on August 3, with just three candidates participating. Both Poilievre and Lewis skipped the event, incurring $50,000 fines. Meanwhile, Charest, former Ontario MP Roman Baber and MP Scott Aitchison debated in both official languages, sitting around a large blue table — a setup Charest called “weird.”
BATTLE FOR THE SOUL OF THE PARTY?
The race is often called the battle for the soul of the Conservative Party, with many asking how the winner hopes to bring all its members – and the losers of the race – under a big blue tent after such a divisive campaign. Poilievre’s critics have accused him of eroding Canadians’ trust in their institutions after he has repeatedly promised to “get rid of the gatekeepers.” Meanwhile, Baber and Rep. Leslyn Lewis have been accused of engaging in conspiracy theories. Baber has been vocal throughout the race about his opposition to the pandemic measures, which largely led to him being removed from Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s caucus last year, while Lewis has expressed concerns about the World Economic Forum, the WHO Pandemic Convention, the effectiveness of COVID -19 vaccines and abortion. Former British Columbia premier Christy Clark — while also endorsing Charest — gave a speech in Edmonton earlier this month in which she said the party is making “its fight for the ends to play at the ends of the political divide.” However, some candidates have touted their messages of cooperation and the need for party unity. Lewis published a letter in August declaring she “hates politics” and refusing to attack her opponents. And Aitchison has promised to “bring respect to politics in Ottawa” throughout his Hope and Respect Tour. And the last official campaign debate had a heavy focus on party unity, with the three panelists trying to move away from the divisive rhetoric of the past six months and instead stress the need to come together after the new leader is announced. With files from CTV’s Rachel Aiello and Sarah Turnbull and The Canadian Press
