O’Toole’s CERB stumbles a tough way to make a first impression
OTTAWA—You never get a second chance to make a first impression. Erin O’Toole should have remembered that last week. O’Toole has won the Conservative leadership. It is now his job to win the country. The decision to attack the Canada Emergency Response Benefit was downright dumb. It cast O’Toole in the image of a born-again […]
Short timelines, mail-in voting coming for Tory nominations in unheld ridings, say top Conservative sources
Conservative sources are predicting “compressed timelines and mail-in ballots” for the party’s pre-election nomination contests in the 217 ridings not held by Conservative incumbents, amid ongoing speculation that an election could come this fall or next spring. The Conservative Party’s communications office was not available to comment for this article last week. Senior Conservative sources […]
Erin O’Toole must make amends to garner Canadian Muslim votes in the next election
A leadership campaign is an opportunity for political parties to re-introduce themselves to the electorate. With the 2020 federal Conservative Party leadership race behind us, it’s important to reflect on the direction the party has taken in the last decade, and how this has affected its relationship with Canadian Muslim voters. Canadian Muslims went to […]
O’Toole’s built-in advantage
OAKVILLE, ONT.—One of the truisms of politics is that voters will often judge books by their covers. That’s to say people will (usually on a subconscious level) make snap decisions about political candidates based simply on how they look: is the candidate physically attractive or plain? Does he or she look competent or inept? Do […]
Ontario MPP Baber, former senior staffer Lantsman, and former candidate Willson said to be eyeing Conservative nomination in York Centre
The yet-to-be-scheduled byelection in York Centre is shaping up to be a high profile contest with prominent Conservative and Liberal figures testing the waters for seeking their party’s nomination in the GTA riding. In interviews with The Hill Times, Conservative sources mentioned the names of former senior Conservative Hill staffer and media pundit Melissa Lantsman; […]
29 of 92 Conservative MPs failed to deliver their own ridings to their endorsed leadership candidate
Roughly one-third of Conservative MPs who endorsed a candidate for the party’s leadership couldn’t deliver enough votes in their riding to put their choice on top, according to an analysis by The Hill Times. New leader Erin O’Toole (Durham, Ont.) scored a come-from-behind victory over Peter MacKay, who had the endorsement of a majority of […]
‘He’s not exactly a household name:’ Erin O’Toole’s ‘well-funded’ team ready for a fall election, say strategists
Conservative strategists say the party is in good shape to jump into a campaign if an election is triggered by the government’s upcoming Throne Speech, and that national campaign manager Fred DeLorey has put together an leadership organization which can be quickly converted for a Canada-wide campaign. Erin O’Toole was announced the winner of the […]
O’Toole’s dilemma
OTTAWA—It would be a mistake to underestimate the electability of Erin O’Toole. He has many things going for him, the first of which is that he is a relative unknown. These days, the shelf-life of a politician is generally one election. It used to be that if you were doing a decent job, voters might […]
Leslyn Lewis has ‘earned’ shot at solid blue riding after remarkable leadership run, say party members
Leslyn Lewis’ remarkable ascent within the Conservative Party after her failed leadership bid means she likely has a wide range of ridings to choose from as she pursues a seat in the House, say strategists and party members. But support from local members on the ground will be key in her run. Ms. Lewis, who […]
SoCons, alienated western Conservatives settle for O’Toole rather than MacKay
OTTAWA—Peter MacKay is no doubt very disappointed about losing the Conservative leadership race. But maybe he should actually be relieved. He at least will not be stuck trying to build a compelling, centre-right election case on an urgent basis for a party with apparently little or no interest in anything remotely progressive and beholden to […]
