At least one Conservative has made a case for standing on the sidelines, albeit vocally, until the long list of candidates for to be party leader is whittled down (it’s Kevin O’Leary). But Conservative MP, former minister and leadership hopeful Lisa Raitt says she’s not expecting any of the 13 candidates, herself included, to bow out.
“I don’t think the field will narrow now,” Raitt said in an interview on The West Block. “I just don’t see how anyone would decide they don’t want to be in the race going forward. I know I’m certainly in the race until the end.”
Most candidates, like Raitt, are currently sitting in the House of Commons. Rounding out the list are a few former MPs defeated in the 2015 election and a private businessman.
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“Given how many people are in the race, there is no clear front-runner at this time, and that means everyone has as good a chance as any to be the next Conservative leader,” Raitt said.
And even for those who don’t win, they’ll gain exposure through the campaign, giving them a strong base to work from in the next federal election, should they run, she said.
Of course, one name is missing from the official list of candidates: businessman and former reality television personality Kevin O’Leary.
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He’s all but declared his candidacy and paid the dues required to enter the race; he has a campaign manager, a statistician and a strategist. But he says he’s waiting. Why? For one reason, because he can, he said. Another reason he’s offered is he’s waiting for the crowded race to narrow to three or four candidates.
Will it make a difference if and when he finally declares?
“Honestly, I feel he’s been in the race all along,” Raitt said. “He does the same interviews I do, he gets the same amount of press coverage that a number of candidates get, and he goes to our debates. And when he’s not there, he live-tweets them.”
Raitt held a press conference in the first week of the new year with a direct and biting attack launched at O’Leary and Kellie Leitch, who is a declared candidate.
WATCH: Lisa Raitt slams Kevin O’Leary, Kellie Leitch for imitating Trump
She said both are setting the Conservatives up to fail in the next election, scheduled for 2019, and drew comparisons between the two and president-elect Donald Trump, who ran a decidedly divisive election campaign.
“Whether he’s in now or when he comes in the future, my concern has to do with what he’s said in the past and whether we can be elected in 2019. Because our number one goal has to be about making sure the Liberal government doesn’t win,” Raitt said.
WATCH: Lisa Raitt starts movement to stop Kevin O’Leary, Kellie Leitch
A website she launched earlier this month, stopkevinoleary.com details some of the past O’Leary statements Raitt says are detrimental to the Conservative brand, including “insulting our soldiers and veterans” and “promising to imprison union members.”
Members of the Conservative Party of Canada will elect their new leader in May.
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