Jean Charest spent Wednesday in the final official debate of the federal Conservative leadership race stressing that his experience as a political leader is what the party needs to unite.
But with six weeks to go before the contest, the former Quebec premier, who led the former federal Progressive Conservative party, has not said whether he plans to remain within the Conservative Party of Canada if another candidate emerges as the winner on September 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, you’re going to 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
While making his final presentation to members, Charest said he has been a lifelong conservative.
1:09 Charest says Tories won’t be elected without ‘credible plan’ on climate Charest says Tories won’t be elected without ‘credible plan’ on climate
Read more: Conservatives raised more than Liberals and NDP combined in Q2 2022
“To answer Scott’s question, I’ve been a conservative all my life. I believe in conservative values,” said 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, he 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 persuade party members to choose him as their first choice on the ranked ballot, is counting mostly on the votes of those in his home province of Quebec, as well as Ontario and Atlantic Canada.
Story continues below ad
Charest noted during the debate that most of the more than 670,000 members who signed up to vote have not yet done so, suggesting they are still making up their minds.
The Conservative party reported on Wednesday that around 150,000 ballots have so far been returned before the September 6 deadline to vote. An estimated 400,000 people are new to the party.
Throughout the evening, Charest repeatedly noted how he showed up at the event, unlike Poilievre, the Ottawa-area MP considered Charest’s main challenger, and with Lewis, a rookie MP who come third in the 2020 party leadership competition.
“If we’re going to unite the party, you have to come forward,” 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 hits out at Tories, Poilievre after disqualification: ‘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
-
Canada asks China to cut back as tensions rise over Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan
-
The dark side of winning the lottery: The lucky ticket can cause new problems, say past winners
In Regina, Poilievre said at a campaign rally Wednesday that he was happy to be with the crowd.
“I could have been locked in a small hotel room around a small table listening to a drone from the first defeated Liberal,” Poilievre said in a video of the event streamed live on YouTube.
The party hosted the debate over the past two weeks and opted for a low-profile setup, held in a small studio in Ottawa without an in-person audience.
The three participating candidates: Aitchison, Charest and Roman Baber, a former member of the Ontario legislature, were packed into a small photography studio and seated around a table, rather than at podiums.
Before the debate began, Charest, who had pushed the party to hold a third official debate, called the setup “weird,” adding: “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
0:25 Charest targets Canadian airport chaos with ‘luggage’ joke Charest targets Canadian airport chaos with ‘luggage’ joke
Poilievre and Lewis risk being fined $50,000 for skipping the event. Although party rules say the penalty for any candidate who decides to skip an official 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 change the Conservative party’s record of losing consecutive federal elections — in 2015, 2019 and 2021 — to the Liberals led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, having spent nine years in power under Stephen Harper.
“You’ve had enough of losing,” Charest said.
Baber, who was kicked out of Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s caucus for opposing the lockdowns, said he would continue to advocate for Canadians affected by the COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
He has also stressed that he is not afraid to defend his values, even against the climate agenda of the liberal.
At one point, he said that to deal with climate change he would seek to increase the amount of trees planted annually in the country.
“I love trees,” he said.
1:09 Baber says he would increase the number of trees planted in Canada to “half a billion a year” Baber says he would increase the number of trees planted in Canada to “half a billion a year” 7:06 Conservative debate: the issues and candidates to watch Conservative debate: the issues and candidates to watch – May 15, 2022
Aitchison, who has struck an upbeat tone throughout the race, said he believes Canada can keep its commitment to net-zero emissions while canceling the national carbon price, a favorite rallying cry among the faithful of the party.
Story continues below ad
Charest pledged to get rid of the federal price on consumer goods while imposing a fee on the heaviest emitters.
He said the party must present a credible climate plan if it hopes to win a chance at government, and highlighted his experience developing climate plans as premier of Quebec.
“A slogan is not a climate plan,” said Charest, who was federal environment minister under Progressive Conservative Prime Minister Brian Mulroney.
The debate, which included 45 minutes in English followed by an equal amount of time in French, featured a more friendly discussion than between candidates.
In addition to raising questions about the fight against climate change, they also discussed affordability, fixing travel to Canada and advancing reconciliation with indigenous peoples.
Party chairman Rob Batherson, who moderated the debate, told the candidates and viewers that “we don’t have a sad trombone 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, harshly criticized.
6:48 Federal Conservative Leadership Debate Highlights Federal Conservative Leadership Debate Highlights – May 12, 2022
Read more: Leslyn Lewis will not attend the third Conservative leadership debate
© 2022 The Canadian Press