Raitt edges closer to Tory leadership bid
Former cabinet minister steps down as finance critic, moves to back bench
OTTAWA— Lisa Raitt has stepped aside as the Conservatives’ finance critic, the clearest sign yet the Ontario MP and former cabinet minister will enter the race to lead the Conservative Party.
In a statement early Friday morning, Raitt said she was stepping aside to ensure “full attention” is paid to the file while she continues “discussions on the future leadership of the party.”
“I thank Rona Ambrose and our (Conservative Party caucus) for trusting me to serve as finance critic over the course of the last year,” Raitt wrote.
Lisa Raitt has an advantage in the race over other Conservative Ontario MPs due to her strong connections in Atlantic Canada
Raitt has already made up her mind about her political future, but has so far held off from officially announcing whether or not she’ll run for the Conservative leadership.
It is widely assumed within Ottawa circles that the Milton MP is already in the race. Her move to the cheap seats in the House of Commons, away from the finance portfolio she seem to relish, is the strongest public indication yet to support those whispers.
Raitt could not immediately be reached for comment.
Raitt would enter an already-crowded field to replace former prime minister Stephen Harper, the only leader the modern Conservative Party has ever known. Quebec MP Maxime Bernier and Ontario’s Kellie Leitch, who both served in Harper’s cabinet with Raitt, have taken up most of the oxygen in the race so far. Bernier has laid out a series of libertarian policy proposals to shake up the race, while Leitch has courted controversy by suggesting immigrants should be tested for murkily defined “Canadian values.”
In Ontario, any leadership hopeful would be competing for attention and support with Leitch, as well as Michael Chong, likely candidate Erin O’Toole and defeated MP Chris Alexander.
On Thursday, former cabinet minister Tony Clement dropped out of the race after failing to attract donations and volunteers.
With Quebec Conservatives expected to field both Bernier and Steven Blaney, a former Public Safety minister who championed the Conservatives’ controversial terrorism law, support in that province will also be difficult to win. Saskatchewan MP Andrew Scheer is seen as the standard bearer for the Western Reform crowd and former MP Andrew Saxon is reportedly considering a bid from British Columbia.
Raitt has an advantage among Ontario Conservatives in that she maintains strong connections in Atlantic Canada. She was born in Cape Breton and has family in the Maritimes. She’s also quick to point out that connection in Ottawa, which has a considerable East Coast diaspora.
Two sources said O’Toole, who also has some East Coast connections, has been calling Atlantic Conservatives to ask for support — even as a No. 2 choice behind Raitt.
Raitt also represents suburban Ontario, ridings that the Conservatives would desperately like to win back in their bid to unseat Prime Minister Justin Trudeau after one mandate.
A source said Raitt’s campaign would likely focus on pocketbook issues and attention to small-town Canada, something that resonates in both her hometown and the region she represents.