B.C. MP Dalton joins race for Tory leadership
B.C. MP Marc Dalton has put his name forward to be the new leader of the federal Conservative Party.
Dalton, 61, launched his campaign on Twitter on Sunday, saying in a posted video that one of his first actions as leader will be to initiate a public inquiry into how the federal Liberals handled the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dalton accused the Liberals of using pandemic contracts to line the pockets of their friends, making decisions based on politics rather than public health, and ignoring evidence about vaccine injuries to push ahead with “coercive measures to get people vaccinated.”
Dalton was first elected to the House of Commons in 2019 and previously served as a B.C. Liberal MLA in Maple Ridge-Mission.
Dalton's entrance means there are now four sitting MPs running, including Pierre Poilievre, Leslyn Lewis and Scott Aitchison, who also announced his leadership bid on Sunday.
Aitchison, 49, chose a craft brewery in his resort hometown of Huntsville, Ont., for his opening event, promising to bring an end to the hyper-partisan antics and political games that are the norm now in Canadian politics.
“More partisan bickering is simply not the answer,” he said, as an energetic crowd waved colourful signs with the word “Scott” on them.
“Solving problems requires real leadership. I've been in Parliament now two terms. And I am dismayed by the energy wasted on political games, instead of getting things done. What's missing in Ottawa is leadership.”
There are now eight candidates in total, with the four sitting MPs joined by former Quebec premier Jean Charest, Brampton, Ont., Mayor Patrick Brown, independent Ontario MPP Roman Baber and Saskatchewan businessman Joseph Bourgault.
The Conservatives are choosing their third leader in five years after Erin O'Toole was voted out of the job by the Conservative caucus in early February.
The candidates have until April 19 to enter the race and until June 3 to sell memberships. The vote will take place Sept. 10.
Poilievre, with endorsements from 44 current Conservative MPs, is considered the front-runner in the contest, well eclipsing caucus endorsements for Charest, who has nine, and Brown and Lewis who each have two.
On Saturday, Brown got a big endorsement boost from Calgary MP Michelle Rempel Garner, who had declined to endorse anyone in either of the last two contests.