Conservative Party

OTTAWA—Pierre Poilievre may be the front-runner in the Conservative party’s leadership race. But when it comes to one of the main themes of this contest, there’s another contender who has walked ahead of him — and in one case, literally.

In mid-June, former Ontario MPP Roman Baber walked for 15 kilometres on the shoulder of an Ontario highway alongside James Topp, a leading figure of the anti-vaccination-mandate movement.

Topp’s cross-Canada march was set to culminate in Ottawa for Canada Day, amid fears his supporters would seek to occupy the capital in a manner similar to the so-called “Freedom Convoy” earlier this year.

A bit of relief from Poilievre coverage.

Many Albertans expect Pierre Poilievre to win the federal Conservative leadership on the first ballot

This week, I donned my embroidered cowboy shirt and Stetson to participate in the Calgary Stampede. I enjoy Stampede not so much for its fun activities but to be an eyewitness to the genuine Alberta community spirit. Stampede has a long tradition — 136 years since its first fair. Despite that heritage, Albertans are not tradition-bound: they are quite willing to change when change is needed.

Conservative leadership hopeful Pierre Poilievre drew commanding support in a public opinion survey of Conservative Party of Canada voters, approaching 50 per cent of respondents selecting him as their top choice.

Poilievre was selected as the best to be the next Conservative leader by 48 per cent of respondents, compared to 14 per cent for the second most popular choice, Jean Charest, according to the Postmedia-Léger survey.

Patrick Brown campaign says if not him, then Charest best alternative for supporters

A spokesman for Patrick Brown says supporters on the front lines of the campaign believe that if their candidate is not reinstated, then Jean Charest is the best alternative.

Chisholm Pothier said Brown spoke on a call Monday evening to supporters, many of whom were “ground troops” in the campaign to elect him federal Conservative leader.

Brown was disqualified from the contest last week by party members on a committee overseeing the leadership race, but he is fighting for an appeal to the decision.

OTTAWA — The chair of the federal Conservative party’s leadership election organizing committee privately expressed concerns around Patrick Brown’s history while vetting him as a potential candidate, according to documentation obtained by The Canadian Press.

It suggests that Ian Brodie raised questions about Brown’s financial situation in a late-March telephone call with someone he was consulting as part of the vetting process after the former Ontario Progressive Conservative leader had declared his intention to join the race.

OTTAWA — The Conservative party is bringing in outside lawyers to decide how to respond to appeals from Patrick Brown’s leadership campaign as they seek to have Brown’s disqualification from the race overturned.

Clad in cowboy hats and plaid, dozens of young conservatives gathered at an Irish pub in Calgary early Sunday afternoon, sipping water and draught beer while waiting for Conservative leadership hopeful Pierre Poilievre to arrive.

Poilievre’s political roots trace back to this club — the University of Calgary’s conservative club. And much of his points of view (and even one current feud) echo back those 22 years.

“I don’t think you can understand Pierre Poilievre without understanding his background,” said Mount Royal University political scientist Duane Bratt. “You have to look at growing up in Calgary, going to the University of Calgary, taking political science in the time period that he did.”

At a fundraiser for today’s federal Conservatives, nearly everything is designed to be an applause line. Even the take-home party favour gift bags.

Visitors to the Conservatives’ 1,400-person Stampede barbecue Saturday night were offered gift bags, or tiny little gauzy pouches to be more specific.

They contained Canada flag lapel pins, a couple of Lifesaver breath mints, and the ticket-holder’s choice of buttons.

Everyone likes a political drama, so it’s only natural that the story of Patrick Brown’s disqualification from the Conservative Party of Canada leadership race has generated several days of great excitement across the country, dominating national political news coverage.

Poilievre is going to win, and the Conservative party is going to be fine

The Conservative leadership race is over. Barring something extremely unexpected, Pierre Poilievre will be the next leader of the Conservative party, and he may well be the next prime minister. Patrick Brown’s disqualification only cements this outcome. The victory is likely to be a big one as well, with a first ballot win a serious possibility. This will give Poilievre a plausible mandate to reshape the party in his image, something that the two most recent leaders, Andrew Scheer and Erin O’Toole, did not possess and something likely to invite apoplectic warnings of many of Canada’s bien pensants, including some within the Conservative party.

I think the CPC braintrust knows the party. They just don’t like the people in it.

Patrick Brown claims he is fighting to stay in the Conservative Party leadership race. But he has already given the final cry of a man who knows he has lost.

When the chips were down and Brown’s campaign was disqualified over an allegation made by a member of his own team, Brown tried to make himself look better by throwing the Conservative base under the bus. In a statement, he said, “I thought Canadians deserved a real conservative alternative … I’m disappointed that we’re being robbed of that opportunity to build a modern, inclusive Conservative Party.”

There was always something off about this guy.

OTTAWA – The chair of the Conservatives’ leadership election organizing committee says the party “could not afford the risk” of having a candidate under investigation for breaking federal laws.
In an email sent to party members Friday morning, Ian Brodie doubled down on the decision as the “right thing” to keep the party “beyond reproach” in the long term.

The missive did not address last night’s late-breaking statement from a whistleblower, Debra Jodoin, who alleged that Brown broke election laws by personally directing a private company to pay for her campaign expenses.

Chi-Coms? Muslims? Tamils? Who wasn’t Brown cozying up with?

The Conservative Party of Canada was taken over by its hardline Reform wing 20 years ago. The Reformers vanquished the old progressive Tories. Now, with leadership frontrunner Pierre Poilievre and with Trumpism as a backdrop, they’re doing it again, re-entrenching on the ideological hard side.

As for the old Tories, they’re boneyard-bound again. Even after Patrick Brown’s disqualification from the leadership race, moderate Jean Charest’s chances of winning are decidedly scant.

Has there been a shift to Poilievre by the Braintrust?

A lawyer for a woman identifying herself as a former organizer on Patrick Brown’s campaign says Brown personally connected her with a third-party company to pay for her work on his campaign.

Debra Jodoin says in a statement released through her lawyer that she briefly worked as a regional organizer for Brown’s campaign from May to the beginning of June.

But wait there’s more…

Tory leadership committee was advised not to approve Patrick Brown’s nomination

Members of the Conservative leadership committee responsible for vetting candidates recommended back in the spring that Patrick Brown’s campaign application not be approved, National Post has learned.

Makes ya wonder if CSIS or the RCMP have something on him.

Strategists say Patrick Brown’s disqualification from the Conservative leadership race gives a leg-up to Pierre Poilievre — but Jean Charest may still have a chance.

The Conservative Party has ejected Brown from the race, citing allegations that he broke financing rules. Brown denies those allegations and his campaign says it’s appealing the decision.

If the disqualification stands, Poilievre will have a clear shot at the Conservative leadership, said Conservative strategist Kory Teneycke.