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Tony Clement: Star of the East

by Justin Boudreau

January 26, 2004

With a federal election on the horizon, (probably mid to late april) the new born Conservative Party of Canada has its membership in a scramble to form associations, select candidates and find a leader able to duke it out with the likes of Paul Martin and Jack Layton. With Mike Harris refusing to run and New Brunswick Premier Bernard Lord bowing out of the race before he even officially announced, the members of the newly formed party have been left with a choice between alberta Lawyer Jim Prentice and Canadian alliance leader Stephen Harper. Said one Conservative Party member: "It is like a choice between dumb and dumber."

Many members of the new party feel that leadership under either Stephen Harper orf Progressive Conservative leader Peter McKay would simply be viewed as a re-hash of the old parties or as an alliance takeover of the old PC party.

Jim Prentice, a failed leadership contender for the PC party is currently the only officially announced candidate, however he offers very little in terms of experience and isn’t expected to mount a serious opposition to perceived front runner Stephen Harper. (Editors note: Shortly after the posting of this article Jim Prentice withdrew his candidacy for leadership citing lack of funding for his campaign. )

With Mike Harris refusing to run for the leadership, many member of the party have noticed the lack of a viable non-western candidate for leadership of the new party. Possible candidates from both Quebec and New Brunswick have also refused to run for the Right Wing’s top job.

Just as the leadership was begging to look like a Harper coronation, shades of Paul Martin, the Ontario team pulled out all the stops to deliver a star candidate with an all star campaign team ready to give the "Harperites" a serious run for their money. Enter former Ontario Health Minister Tony Clement. Clement is expected to make his candidacy official within the next week.

 

Clement earned a great deal of respect and praise from the people of Ontario during his tenure as Ontario Health minister, largely due to his "hands on" approach to dealing with this past summer’s SaRS crisis. People within the party see Clement as a "bridge candidate" and his popularity in Ontario has drawn in the support of Conservatives from all walks, including some who campaigned against him during his bid for leadership of the Ontario party.

a strong "anybody but Harper" movement gives Clement a strong grounding of support especially in the crucial areas of Ontario, and the simple fact that he isn’t western makes him much more appealing to voters in Quebec and Eastern Canada.

The Vote will be held by preferential ballot across the country from march 19 to 21. Each of the countries 308 ridings will count for 100 points. Points are awarded to each candidate based on percentage of first place votes received.



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