University of Saskatchewan (U of S) Prof. Greg Poelzer has his pick for which Conservative Party of Canada leadership candidate he thinks the Liberals should be worried about if elected this summer.
A recent Ipsos poll asked Canadians under whose leadership would they consider voting for the Tories in the next federal election. Forty-per-cent chose Peter MacKay.
Poelzer, a political science expert and professor of environment and sustainability, agreed with the poll.
“If I were a Liberal strategist, the candidate that would scare the hell out of me is Peter MacKay,” Poelzer said Wednesday in Saskatoon.
“He’s obviously well-known coming from the Progressive Conservative wing. He’s coming back from the private sector. So he’s got that business acumen under his belt that he can champion… and he’s championed climate change policy, things like that, that are going to resonate in rich-vote Ontario.”
In the last federal election on Oct. 21, 2019, Saskatchewan went entirely blue as the Liberals, under Justin Trudeau, formed a minority government.
Tory Leader and Saskatchewan MP Andrew Scheer announced on Dec. 12, 2019, that he is stepping down once a new leader is elected.
MacKay is a former MP and hails from Nova Scotia.
“He’s not from Western Canada. And I think that’s going to be critical in places like Quebec, the Maritimes and in Ontario,” Poelzer said.
“He’s even got a lot of support from MPs and senators in Western Canada.”
The deadline for potential candidates to enter the Conservative leadership race is Feb. 27. The winner is expected to be chosen by the party in Toronto on June 27.
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