AMBROSE LEADS LEADERSHIP POLL

A significant plurality of Conservative party supporters would back interim leader Rona Ambrose if she ran for the permanent job — a move currently barred by the party’s constitution — according to a new Mainstreet/Postmedia poll. Twenty-six per cent of self-described Tory backers would vote for Ambrose if a leadership contest were held today, according to the poll. That compares to 20 per cent for television personality Kevin O’Leary and 16 per cent for former justice minister Peter McKay, currently thought to be the undeclared front-runner for the job. Stephen Harper-era ministers Tony Clement, Jason Kenney and Maxime Bernier all polled at six or seven per cent each. Michael Chong, Kellie Leitch and Lisa Raitt received, respectively, three, two and one per cent support in the poll, which is considered accurate to within 2.4 per cent, 19 times out of 20. The poll surveyed 1,676 Conservative supporters, not members of the Conservative party. So its use as a barometer for the leadership vote itself, which is restricted to party members, is limited. However, according to Mainstreet president Quito Maggi, the numbers are a good indicator of who has goodwill and strong name recognition among the Conservative base. That same base has an overwhelmingly favourable view of Ambrose, who became interim leader in late 2015. Sixty-eight per cent of those surveyed said they had a favourable opinion of Ambrose, compared to just 11 per cent with an unfavourable view. Still, the party’s constitution is clear: an interim leader “may not be nor become a candidate in the leadership selection process.” To change that, a “draft Ambrose” movement would need to convince delegates to amend the constitution at the national convention this May in Vancouver. So far, only Leitch and Bernier have formally entered the race to replace Stephen Harper as permanent Conservative leader.