CONSERVATIVE PARTY CONTENDERS.
Conservative leader Andrew Scheer’s abrupt resignation announcement leaves an intriguing job vacancy on the Canadian political scene. The eventual winner of the race will give a strong signal about the direction of the party as it prepares to square off against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for a third time.
Scheer’s resignation comes at a time of deep self-analysis for the party. After a bruising defeat in the 2019 election, the Conservatives hired former cabinet minister John Baird to analyze where the party went wrong and how it can learn from the election that gave the Liberals a minority government. Some party veterans have argued that Conservatives should move to the left on social issues, while others have argued that simply doing a better job of articulating conservative ideas would expand the voter base.
Scheer said on Thursday that he has asked the party to immediately start planning a leadership contest and soon Tory hopefuls will be declaring their candidacy.
The National Post’s Stuart Thomson runs down some contenders that may be keen to join the race.
PETER MACKAY
Mackay was a cabinet minister in Stephen Harper’s government from its first days in 2006 until its last day in 2015. He was also instrumental in the creation of the modern Conservative Party (although he broke a promise to do it) and has lived and breathed Tory politics for his entire life. Mackay will be attractive to Conservative Party members who want the party to take a turn to the progressive on social issues and who are concerned about building the party up east of the Prairies.
PIERRE POILIEVRE
Poilievre is another veteran of the Harper government who may be inclined to throw his hat in the ring. The Ottawa-area member of parliament may have to soften his image as a partisan attack-dog, but it’s his ability to genuinely enrage the members on the other side of the House that makes him appealing to some Conservatives.
GÉRARD DELTELL
If the Conservatives are serious about winning back support in Quebec, they may be keen to find a francophone leader. Quebec MP Gérard Deltell could be the prime candidate for Tories still lamenting the poor reviews of Scheer’s French debate performances. Deltell has received generally good assessments of his performances in the House since he was elected in 2015 and he even has some leadership experience: he served as parliamentary leader of the provincial Coalition Avenir Québec caucus in 2012.
ERIN O’TOOLE
O’toole came tantalizingly close to winning the 2017 Conservative leadership race and it wouldn’t be a huge surprise if he took another run at the job. The Ontario MP was in the final four when Scheer took the leadership, along with Brad Trost and Maxime Bernier. O’toole is also coming off a big win in the House this week: He spearheaded a successful motion to create a special parliamentary committee to examine Canada’s relationship with China.
RONA AMBROSE
There are enough Conservatives pining for former Alberta MP Rona Ambrose to enter the race that it’s not totally out of the realm of possibility. Whether she actually wants to be involved is another question. Some members have gotten the distinct impression that the former interim leader of the party is happy in life after politics and likely can’t be convinced to run.
CHRISTY CLARK
Clark left politics after she resigned as leader of the British Columbia Liberal Party in 2017. And if the Conservatives are looking for some kind of compromise candidate between factions in the Prairies and Ontario, she could be an elegant choice. For six years she governed a province with a functional carbon tax and the jury is out on whether that could be a help or a hindrance in a race decided by Conservative Party members.
JASON KENNEY
In an interview with the National Post on Monday, Kenney described accusations that he’s planning a run for the Conservative leadership as “laughable.” That hasn’t stopped the Alberta NDP opposition from suggesting it and some Conservative caucus members still optimistically include the Alberta premier’s name on a list of candidates they hope to see running.
BRAD WALL
Wall may be another person who is happily enjoying life after politics, but that doesn’t stop some Conservatives from hoping he enters the race. The former Saskatchewan premier managed to accomplish a rare feat by leaving politics with sky-high approval ratings. When he stepped down in December 2017, Wall commanded 53 per cent approval from voters in Saskatchewan.
MICHELLE REMPEL
It’s easy to gauge Rempel’s popularity in her Calgary riding: In the 2019 election, she was re-elected with nearly 70 per cent of the votes. Rempel is still one of the younger members of the Conservative caucus at 39-years-old and she can boast huge numbers on social media, with more than 100,000 Twitter followers and a popular Youtube channel. Whether that translates into votes in a leadership race will be another matter.