small "c" conservative frontrunner for Canada party | Eastern NC Now

The battle for leader of the British Conservative Party is overshadowing that for their Canadian cousins.  Canada's Conservative Party also has a leadership contest underway and with LIberal Prime Minister Trudeau's popularity cratering, the winner may well be the next Prime Minister.

The leading candidate is Pierre Pollievre, Member of Parliament for Ottawa.  Pollievre entered Parliament at the age of 25, elected on the ticket of the solidly conservative Reform Party, which later merged with the Progressive Conservative Party to form the current Conservative Party of Canada.  Since entering parliament, he has earned a reputation as an attack dog on conservative issues.  During the recent truckers Freedom Convoy, Pollievre openly marched with the truckers.

His main opponent is Jean Charest, a former Liberal Premier of Quebec whose administration was mired in scandal although he was not personally charged with any of it.  Charest then jumped to the Progressive Conservative Party and became its leader.  Charest has few discernable principles and inhabits the mushy middle.  He represents a district in Quebec in parliament.

Thanks to disgust with Trudeau, membership in the Conservative Party of Canada has grown from 169,000 members in 2021 to 678,000 today.  Dues to become a member are $15.  Party members rather than parliament members will choose the next party leader but the leader chosen must be a member of parliament.

https://conservativehome.com/2022/08/19/yuan-yi-zhu-at-last-the-canadian-conservatives-may-be-about-to-select-the-next-prime-minister/