Down to the crunch

MERRY BAND OF LIBERALS. AND THEN CAME A PIVOTAL MOMENT... WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE CONSERVATIVE LEADERSHIP BATTLE

OTTAWA • Less than a month from now, Canadian Conservatives will pick their federal leader to take them to battle with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in 2019. But voting can happen anytime now that ballots have been mailed out.

The victor will be entitled to live at Stornoway, the residence for the leader of Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition. They’ll inherit a big tent party with fresh memories of steady centralized control under Stephen Harper, and even fresher memories of masterful House of Commons performances from interim leader Rona Ambrose.

For more than a year, this leadership race has been defined as much by the starkly different visions offered by candidates as by their mutual disdain for Trudeau and his merry band of Liberals.

And then came a pivotal moment: reality television personality Kevin O’Leary dropped a bombshell by dropping out of the race and throwing his “full support” behind libertarian Quebec candidate Maxime Bernier.

O’Leary voters might not follow suit. His supporters left dozens of seats empty at the party’s final official debate recently. They might turn out the vote. If they do, there’s no guarantee they’ll support Bernier.

Hoping to come up the middle and eclipse Bernier are moderate candidates like Andrew Scheer, who say they can appeal to a broader range of Conservatives. Former cabinet ministers Erin O’Toole and Lisa Raitt fall into this category, too.

There’s surgeon Kellie Leitch, with her polarizing talk of immigrant-screening. And red-Tory darling Michael Chong, who is poised to capture votes from those who’ve joined the party in recent months specifically to protest candidates such as Leitch (if online campaigns are to be believed).

Others candidates, meanwhile, have come and gone. Remember Dan Lindsay or Tony Clement? So here’s a refresher on the cast of characters vying for the top Tory job (in alphabetical order), and some key things to remember them by : Maxime Bernier speaks during the final Conservative Party leadership debate in Toronto on April 26. Trump. It’s one of a variety of policies that Bernier says would end corporate welfare in Canada.

Abolish the “maple syrup cartel,” part of a promise to eliminate all interprovincial trade barriers.

Bernier resigned as foreign minister after forgetting sensitive documents at the apartment of a girlfriend with past ties to biker gangs.

His policies don’t align well with other candidates, but consider other Harper-era cabinet ministers, such as Lisa Raitt.

Has stood out at debates. Sometimes, it’s because of props — he brought an empty nuclear rod to one as an example of clean energy; other times it’s because of his spirited attacks on Bernier.

Completely dismantle First Nations reserves. Ban the niqab in the public service.

Blaney was the frontman for the Harper government’s removal of the long-form census and the controversial anti-terrorism law known as Bill C-51.

Kellie Leitch, because their views on immigration are similar. Definitely not Maxime Bernier. Dismantle the CBC.

Leitch and fellow candidate Chris Alexander were the two who announced a tip line for “barbaric cultural practices” during the 2015 election campaign, a ridiculed policy said to have contributed to Harper’s downfall.

Steven Blaney, because they share hard-line views. Definitely not Michael Chong.

The only candidate openly advocating for legal changes related to abortion, which he calls “life issues.” Specifically, he would legislate to make sex-selective abortion a crime.

Institute term limits for Supreme Court justices.

While serving as an MP, The Canadian Press reported Lemieux’s hobby was competitive “cowboy action shooting.” His nom-de-gunslinging was “The Lawman.”

Brad Trost, because these two are the most socially conservative of the bunch.

The longest-serving Conservative MP in the House of Commons, Obhrai’s sense of humour has won him fans, especially at debates. Even his campaign website — deepakage.com — is a good one. “The package”— get it?

Recycle nuclear waste fuel with Fast Neutron Reactors.

Obhrai, who immigrated to Canada from Tanzania, was first elected as a member of the Reform Party, then the Canadian Alliance.

Moderate MPs like Lisa Raitt, Andrew Scheer or Erin O’Toole, but definitely not Kellie Leitch; Obhrai is one of her most vocal opponents. beginning of 2015, a department he inherited from beleaguered Harperite Julian Fantino.

Andrew Scheer or Lisa Raitt, fellow moderate MPs.

Since O’Leary dropped out, now the only other candidate who’s never served in parliament. Has also taken on the “most bombastic” title. His fundraising game has proved weak — an April email to party members featured a pitch from his dog and a Liberal insult.

Completely eliminate corporate income tax.

Peterson unsuccessfully ran for B.C. Conservative Party leader in 2014.

Maxime Bernier, who is similarly focused on economic issues and advocates a corporate tax cut.

One of Raitt’s first big moves was to hold a press conference launching a website called stopkevinoleary.com, which also attacked Kellie Leitch. Has also been advocating Alzheimer’s awareness: her husband, Bruce Wood, was diagnosed with early onset of the disease a year ago.

Activate Conservative grassroots and undertake the biggest “policy development process” in the party’s history.

In 2009, when Raitt was natural resources minister, secret briefing documents were left at a CTV News studio. After a week, they reported what was inside, and Raitt’s director of communications resigned.

Andrew Scheer or Erin O’Toole, fellow moderate MPs.

Has led caucus support for most of the campaign if you include Conservative senators. Has positioned himself as a big tent candidate who can appeal to every type of Conservative, and speaks decent French. A younger, less-scary Stephen Harper.

Drop federal funding for universities that don’t protect free speech on campus. Add property rights to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Scheer served as the youngest-ever Speaker of the House of Commons, ascending to the post in 2011, at age 32. Was one of 13 people put on a retaliatory sanctions list by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2014. or Lisa Raitt. Erin O’Toole

Trost is pro-life, would repeal the Liberals’ trans-rights bill and, as his campaign manager described it in one video, “not entirely comfortable with the whole gay thing.” One of the highestprofile moments in Trost’s campaign was fallout from a promise not to fund gay pride parades.

Allow off-duty police officers to conceal and carry guns.

Was publicly unhappy with his own government in 2011, because it was funding the International Planned Parenthood Federation. At a policy convention in spring 2016, he was one of the voices arguing for the party to retain a traditional definition of marriage as “the union of one man and one woman.”

Pierre Lemieux, the other social-conservative candidate. leadership contest. About 150,000 of those people purchased $15 memberships this calendar year. Party members appear on lists of eligible voters for each electoral district, and ballots received by the party are cross-referenced against those lists.

Candidates can challenge the eligibility of members, in writing, up until May 7. “Frivolous” challenges are subject to fines. In March, the party expelled 1,351 members signed up with pre-paid credit cards, as allegations swirled around fraudulent sign-up plots.

Another 1,378 memberships were found to be “ineligible” in a more recent review of memberships. A party spokesman said prepaid credit cards weren’t the only reason for finding this latest batch invalid. Tipping the party off were a “variety of indicators,” including transaction logs, website access logs and purchase methods.

Every party member who is in good standing receives a single ballot on which they rank their preferred candidates for Conservative Party leader.

Ballots come in the mail. Once they’re filled out, voters have two options: they can send the ballot back to the Conservative Party by mail or bring their ballot to a polling station. Mailed-in ballots are due by May 26 at 5 p.m.

Polling stations are available in Edmonton, Winnipeg, Moncton, Montreal and eight Ontario locations on May 27, with various hours of operation. None are listed for Saskatchewan, British Columbia, northern territories or other Atlantic provinces. Local ridings are responsible for setting up polling places. Ballot boxes will also be available on the convention floor in Toronto.

Each of Canada’s 338 electoral districts is worth 100 points, for a total of 33,800 points. Candidates get a points total for each riding based on their percentage of the vote. Spoiled ballots don’t count in that calculation. According to the party, less than a third of federal ridings have more than 1,000 party members.

The winner must receive a majority of points from across the country. If no one has a majority after the first count, the candidate with the fewest points nationally is dropped. Votes for that candidate are reallocated to the second choices marked on ballots.

The same process is repeated, if necessary, until one candidate has 16,901 or more of the 33,800 total points.

The party is in an unusual situation because one of the most recognizable names on the ballot, Kevin O’Leary, quit after forms were already printed and mailed off. If members put O’Leary first, their second choice won’t be counted until O’Leary naturally drops off the ballot. The leadership election organizing committee may review this process, a party spokesman said.

An independent auditor hired by the party verifies vote counts and point totals.