But with six weeks left in the contest, the former Quebec premier, who once led the former federal Progressive Conservative Party, has not said whether he plans to remain in the Conservative Party of Canada if another candidate emerges as the winner on Sept. 10. . Conservative MP Scott Aitchison, the former mayor of Huntsville, Ont., who was first elected to the House of Commons in 2019, said he would keep his seat regardless of the outcome. “Can you honestly say that if you don’t win this race, that you’ll be here on September 11 helping Leslyn (Lewis), Pierre (Poilievre) and I unite our party?” Aitchison asked Charest in the debate. Story continues below ad Delivering his final address to members, Charest said he had been a lifelong Tory. 1:09 Charest says Conservatives won’t be elected without ‘credible plan’ on climate Charest says Conservatives won’t be elected without ‘credible plan’ on climate Read more: Conservatives raised more than Liberals, NDP combined in second quarter of 2022 “To answer Scott’s question, I’ve been a conservative all my life. I believe in conservative values,” Charest, who led the Quebec Liberals, the province’s main federalist party, for 14 years. “I led a coalition government in Quebec because, as a conservative, I believed in the unity of this country.” Pressed again after the debate ended, Charest told reporters he is focused on winning. Charest, who is working to convince party members to select him as their first choice on the ranked ballot, is counting heavily on votes from those in his home province of Quebec, as well as Ontario and Atlantic Canada. Story continues below ad Charest pointed out during the debate that the majority of the more than 670,000 members registered to vote have not yet done so, suggesting they are still making up their minds. The Conservative party said on Wednesday that around 150,000 ballots had been returned so far before the September 6 deadline for voting. An estimated 400,000 people are new to the party. Throughout the evening, Charest repeatedly pointed out how he appeared at the event, unlike Poilievre, the Ottawa-area MP considered Charest’s main challenger, and with Lewis, a rookie MP who placed third in his leadership race party in 2020. “If we’re going to unite the party, you have to show up,” Charest said. 0:36 Aitchison tells Conservatives Trudeau didn’t win last election: ‘we lost it’ Aitchison tells Conservatives Trudeau didn’t win last election: ‘we lost it’ Read more: Brown attacks Conservatives, Poulievre after exclusion: ‘Not a fair election’ Story continues below ad He also said that a candidate who doesn’t show up for the leadership debate “is like a fish that says it doesn’t want to swim in the ocean.” Trending Stories
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In Regina, Poilievre told a campaign rally Wednesday that he was happy to be with the crowd. “I could have been huddled in a small hotel room around a small table listening to a defeated Liberal leader drone on,” Poilievre said in a video of the event streamed live on YouTube. The party has been organizing the debate for the past two weeks and opted for a low-profile event, held in a small Ottawa studio with no in-person audience. The three participating candidates — Aitchison, Charest and Roman Baber, a former member of the Ontario legislature — gathered in a small photo studio and sat around a table, rather than standing at podiums. Before the debate began, Charest, who had pushed for the party to hold a third formal debate, described the arrangement as “strange”, adding: “I’ve never seen anything like this.” 0:25 Charest targets Canadian airport chaos with ‘luggage’ talk Charest targets Canadian airport chaos with ‘luggage’ Poilievre and Lewis face a $50,000 fine for skipping the event. Although party rules say the penalty for any candidate who decides to skip a formal debate is automatic, the party’s leadership election organizing committee will have the final say. Story continues below ad The three candidates began by reflecting on what they had heard from Canadians and party members during the contest, which began after the Conservative caucus voted to oust former leader Erin O’Toole from the top job in February. Charest was presented as the only candidate who could turn the Conservative Party’s record for defeats in consecutive federal elections – in 2015, 2019 and 2021 – to the Liberals led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau after spending nine years in power under Stephen Harper. “You’re tired of losing,” Charest said. Baber, who quit Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s caucus over his opposition to lockdowns, said he will continue to stand up for Canadians affected by the COVID-19 vaccine mandates. He also stressed that he is not afraid to stand up for his values, including the Liberals’ climate agenda. At one point, he said to combat climate change he would look to increase the amount of trees planted annually in the country. “I love trees,” he said. 1:09 Bamber says they would increase the number of trees planted in Canada to “half a billion a year” Bamber says they would increase the number of trees planted in Canada to “half a billion a year” 7:06 Conservative debate : The issues and candidates watch Conservative Debate: The issues and candidates to watch – 15 May 2022 Aitchison, who throughout the race struck an optimistic tone, said he believes Canada can meet its commitment to reach net zero emissions by scrapping the national carbon price, a favorite rallying cry among party loyalists. Story continues below ad Charest pledged to get rid of the federal price on consumer goods while imposing a tax on the heaviest emitters. He said the party must present a credible climate plan if it hopes to win a chance at government, and pointed to his experience developing climate plans as Quebec premier. “A slogan is not a climate plan,” said Charest, who was federal environment minister under Progressive Conservative Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. The debate, which consisted of 45 minutes in English, followed by an equal amount of time in French, was more of a friendly debate than a friendly contest between the candidates. In addition to questions about combating climate change, they also talked about affordability, defining travel in Canada, promoting reconciliation with indigenous peoples. Party chairman Rob Batherson, who moderated the debate, told the candidates and viewers “we have no sad trombones in this debate”. He was referring to the sound effects used during the official English-language debate in May, which many party members, including Poilievre, strongly criticized. 6:48 Highlights from the Federal Conservative Leadership Debate Highlights from the Federal Conservative Leadership Debate – May 12, 2022 Read more: Leslyn Lewis will not attend the third Conservative leadership debate © 2022 The Canadian Press
