Five out of the six candidates vying for Tory leadership will appear on stage Thursday night for a debate before a room of conservative faithful.
It’s not an official leadership debate, but is being hosted by the Canada Strong and Free Network as part of an annual conference taking place in Ottawa.
The organization promotes conservative ideas and was founded by Preston Manning, former leader of the Reform Party of Canada – a precursor to the Canadian Alliance, which merged with the Progressive Conservative Party to form the current Conservative Party.
Get breaking National news
Pieces of that history may be on display during Thursday’s debate, as the race has already seen accusations fly over whether some candidates are truly “Conservative.”
- Manitoba Opposition Tories accuse NDP government of not shopping locally
- Calgary to continue receiving Housing Accelerator Fund after citywide rezoning repeal
- B.C. premier says MLA Joan Phillip is ‘very ill,’ asks for prayers
- Coastal B.C. First Nation leaders go to Calgary to dissuade pipeline investors
Appearing on stage will be Pierre Poilievre, Leslyn Lewis, Roman Baber, Scott Aitchison and Jean Charest.
Patrick Brown is not attending, as his campaign says he is busy selling memberships before the June 3 deadline when supporters must be a member in order to vote in the contest.
Next week all six candidates must participate in the first of two official debates organized by the party.
Comments
Want to discuss? Please read our Commenting Policy first.