Conservative strategist loses bid to wrest nomination from Gallant

Longtime Renf re w-Ni pissing Pembroke MP Cheryl Gallant met her first challenger for the Conservative nomination in the riding over the weekend.

And she won.

The challenger was Mike Coates, 61, a recently retired communications and government relations executive with Hill+Knowlton Strategies. His Conservative credentials include preparing Stephen Harper for debates and managing the Conservative leadership campaign of businessman and Shark Tank regular Kevin O’Leary.

But Gallant’s voters are staunch supporters. The weekend nomination voting numbers were not released. However, about 1,500 Conservatives members in the riding voted Saturday and Sunday at events held in Renfrew, Barry’s Bay and Pembroke. Coates estimated that his team sold about 500 party memberships at $15 a card.

“We just came up short. We came up against the Gallant machine. I congratulate her for her efforts,” said Coates on Sunday shortly after learning of his loss. “It’s a testament to Cheryl and the loyalty and dedication towards Cheryl. She has a strong base of support in the riding, and they came out in full force.”

Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke covers a lot of ground, from Arnprior just outside the Ottawa city boundaries almost as far as Mattawa in the north. Gallant won her first election in 2000 under the Canadian Alliance banner, ousting Liberal Hec Clouthier. The riding, once a Liberal stronghold, has since been a Conservative bastion, with Gallant winning six elections, the last five as a Conservative.

In her 18 years as MP, Gallant has stirred up perennial controversy. In 2004, she compared abortion to the beheading of Iraq war hostage Nick Berg. Last summer, she was the only MP to vote against a government motion reaffirming support for the Paris Agreement.

In a short speech to party members in Barry’s Bay on Saturday, Coates said the focus of his campaign was jobs and economic development.

“We need a fresh approach. Just look around you. Our children are not staying in this community. Change could be a good thing. The role of our member of Parliament should not be as a career. An MP should be in for two or three terms, then it’s time for a fresh approach and new ideas,” Coates said.

Gallant has not responded to a request for an interview from this newspaper in years, and did not reply to a request sent Sunday via Twitter.