OTTAWA — The Conservative Party of Canada will wait until Sept. 10 to pick a new leader, providing more time for prospective candidates to mount their campaigns, including former Quebec premier Jean Charest.
Charest met with about 40 MPs and senators Wednesday evening before the rules of the contest were announced several hours later. He said he was waiting to see the rules before making a decision.
“You’ll remember that two years ago I came to the conclusion that the campaign would not have been viable because there wasn’t enough time for me to go out there to introduce myself to the membership and to recruit new members, so that’ll be part of what we’ll be looking for is are the rules viable,” he said.
“Do they allow us to do a real campaign and get ourselves known.”
Among the decisions Conservatives on the committee had to make was opting for a shorter contest or a longer one — a decision many said would determine how many candidates would decide to enter the race, such as those not currently serving as MPs and who may run on single issues.
So far, the only candidate that has declared himself to be running is Pierre Poilievre, a well-known Ottawa-area MP with a reputation for fiery performances in Parliament.
As Charest met behind closed doors and fielded questions from curious MPs Wednesday evening, Conservatives got a taste of what a race with Poilievre may look like.
Shannon Stubbs, a Poilievre supporter, tweeted out an image of Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Charest, attacking him for supporting carbon pricing and the long-gun registry.
“I’m with grassroots Conservative Party members. Our leader must share our values, and respect our policies. I’m against the carbon tax, the long-gun registry, and for tax cuts, not tax takes,” she wrote.
Charest, a former leader of the Quebec Liberal and federal Progressive Conservative parties, didn’t respond when asked about him being attacked as a Liberal. Caucus members who attended brushed it off as political gamesmanship.
Gerard Deltell, a prominent Quebec MP who is backing a Charest run, said he believes it’s better to stick to speaking positively about your own candidate.
The party says candidates will have until April 19 to throw their hats into the ring.
The entry fee will be $200,000, on top of a $100,000 deposit to ensure they comply with the rules, which will be refunded after the contest is over.
