Conservative Party

Some social conservatives view the massive influx of new Conservative Party members as an “opportunity” to strengthen their movement’s influence within the party.

It remains to be seen, however, how successful “socon” groups will be at recruiting from the roughly 400,000 new members the party claims to have signed up over the current leadership race – or how beholden the likely next leader, Pierre Poilievre, will be to the faction.

The press never really lets up on the “Conservative hidden agenda” schtick. But to be frank I suspect the Socons will be ignored and silenced if not exiled by the CPC “braintrust” regardless of who is elected leader.

On Wednesday night in Ottawa, three of the five Conservative Party of Canada leadership candidates took part in the third and final official debate of the 2022 race.

Candidates Scott Aitchison, Roman Baber and Jean Charest delved into some of the top issues of the campaign.

The half-English and half-French debate saw the trio discuss leadership, Indigenous issues, transportation, climate change, affordability, rural affairs and health.

TERRAZZANO: Not all Conservatives oppose second carbon tax — but they should

When it comes to scrapping the Trudeau government’s carbon tax, the hardest decision Conservative leadership hopefuls have to make is whether they would scrap it before or after lunch on their first day if elected prime minister. The bigger question is whether a Conservative government would scrap the impending second carbon tax.

The slow bleed of younger millennials and older Gen Zers to the Conservative party has turned into a torrent that could realign Canadian politics in unexpected ways.

Abacus Data’s latest survey of how Canadians would vote if a federal election were held tomorrow finds 37 per cent of 18-29 year olds in favour of the Conservative Party of Canada. This represents a massive 17-point surge since January when just 20 per cent of this age bracket preferred the CPC.

While former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper occasionally writes, speaks and makes public appearances, it’s very rare for him to issue a political endorsement. When he decided to do just that for Conservative leadership candidate Pierre Poilievre, many people were caught off-guard and took notice.

MONTREAL, Que. — Is the Conservative leadership race tightening? Short answer: Yes. Long answer: Yes, but it may already be too late for Jean Charest.

New data on the Conservative Party of Canada leadership contest was unveiled last week. While Carleton MP Pierre Poilievre remains the unquestioned favorite, former federal Progressive Conservative leader and Quebec Premier Charest has significantly improved his standing in recent months, both with the general electorate and among CPC supporters.

Is Canada’s venerable Conservative party going nuts?

Whatever happened to the old “sensible shoes” party known as the Conservatives?

As Pierre Poilievre, a radical populist, prepares to become the party’s new leader, it’s a question that has taken on new urgency.

Poilievre was already the odds-on favourite for winning his party’s leadership in a race that concludes next month. But his candidacy received a new boost this week, when he won the endorsement of former prime minister Stephen Harper.

The Jean Charest campaign has written to the Conservative leadership election organizing committee urging the party to fine Pierre Poilievre’s campaign for a statement it claims “brings direct reputational harm” to the Conservative Party.

Frankly I believe the “elites” of the conservative party have accepted that Poilievre is likely to be elected the next leader.

He may not be their first choice but they will still manage to sort out a working relationship with PP.

The latter will continue his popular feisty ways occasionally tossing a tiny scrap of red meat to the hoi polloi while upholding the “acceptable conservative” positions on matters of substance.

Former Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s endorsement of Pierre Poilievre for the Conservative Party of Canada leadership is a big deal … in those parts of the country where Poilievre is already going to wipe the floor with the other candidates.

Stephen Harper’s endorsement of Pierre Poilievre for the Conservative Party leadership is a boost for the Ottawa MP that will particularly sway party members who have been on the fence about supporting him, the Conservative Senate leader says.

“So far, this is the biggest and most important endorsement,” Don Plett said in an interview on Tuesday.

But he said it’s a complicated situation. “Conservatives are strong-minded people, and if I had been a supporter of somebody else, I don’t think an endorsement like this would sway my first ballot vote. If I was on the fence, it most certainly would.”

OTTAWA – Former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper has endorsed Pierre Poilievre to be the party’s next leader.

In a rare public return to party politics, Harper, who didn’t wade into the Conservatives’ 2017 and 2020 leadership races, released a short video on Twitter on Monday discussing his endorsement.

Harper says the contest to lead the party is filled with candidates, but one stands out.

There is something to be said for how British Conservatives pick their leaders. The campaign to choose Boris Johnson’s successor is unfolding with merciful swiftness compared with the agonizing, and largely pointless, journey Canada’s Tories have been on for many months now.

Britain’s Conservatives, who will have selected Mr. Johnson’s successor five days before their Canadian counterparts finally unveil their new leader on Sept. 10, took less than two weeks to whittle the original field of 11 candidates down to two serious contenders after Mr. Johnson’s July 7 resignation. British Tories are hence spared the spectacle of a campaign tainted by unserious fringe candidates, allegations of illegal funding, and a rush to sell membership cards.

A federal Conservative party led by Pierre Poilievre would pull votes away from the People’s Party of Canada more successfully than one led by Jean Charest, a Mainstreet poll suggests.

The poll asked how people would vote in a federal election if Poilievre or Charest were the Conservative leader.

“Basically he gets a lot of that People’s party vote,” said Mainstreet CEO Quito Maggi. “His tack to the right does bring that PPC vote home to the Conservative party — it’s likely that it’s just extremely inefficient.”