Commentary
Leadership races can be dangerous affairs. They can be unifying party-building exercises that expand support across the country, or they can tear a party to shreds from the inside. The 2022 Conservative Party of Canada leadership race was of the beneficial kind of offering, not just a victory for Pierre Poilievre but for the party as a whole.
Few were surprised by Poilievre’s first-ballot victory in the leadership race. His campaign made waves across the country with packed rallies of enthusiastic supporters in every region. Jean Charest ran a solid campaign but just couldn’t get a strong momentum going, while the rest of the field of candidates struggled to garner notice. Nobody foresaw a 68 percent first ballot blowout for Poilievre, especially under the regionally weighted point system used for the race….