The Conservative Party of Canada has released a preliminary list of members eligible to vote in the party’s leadership race in September which shows that there are now more than twice as many voters as in the 2020 turnout that crowned Erin O’Toole as leader.
Preliminary figures released on Thursday indicate that there are now approximately 675,000 members eligible to vote for the next Conservative leader, compared to the 269,469 party members who were able to vote last time.
“What we have here is really an extraordinary and historic growth in the list of members,” said Ian Brodie, chairman of the party’s Leadership Election Organizing Committee.
Between February and June, the party says about 613,000 members signed up, although 45,000 of them are likely party renewals. Still, Brodie says the numbers show Canadians are committed to the race.
“Campaigns have had an extraordinary reach across this country into the lives of Canadians to involve them in this race,” Brodie said.
The preliminary list will now go to the candidates for management to review. They will have until Monday to request that members be removed or added to the list.
Brodie said campaigns will have to justify their challenges by providing a valid explanation of why a member should be removed from the list. The basis of a challenge may, for example, include evidence that a member has registered twice, under two addresses.
Campaigns can also mark the members to be added to the list if they have been removed because they have, for example, the same name as another member.
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Power panelists Elliot Hughes, James Moore, Brad Lavigne and Emilie Nicolas debate how high membership numbers can affect the Conservative leadership race.
Campaigns can now use the list to buy votes
Approximately 6,500 registrations have already been marked as non-compliant, meaning they did not follow the rules of the party or Elections Canada.
A party official who spoke on the background said most of the non-compliant registrations were withdrawn because they had been paid for by someone other than the member. The official said the number of non-compliant registrations is in line with what the party has seen in recent leadership races.
The party will not disclose information on how many members registered through individual campaigns, but a source with a background said most members registered online, including candidate websites and the party’s own web portal.
Releasing the preliminary list allows all campaigns to call party members by phone or email to try to get them to their side.
Conservative leadership hopeful Pierre Poilievre, left, and Patrick Brown share an exchange during the Conservative Party of Canada’s French-language leadership debate in Laval, Quebec, on Wednesday, May 25, 2022. Poilievre’s support to Freedom Convoy protesters has been a controversial topic in leadership debates so far. (Ryan Remiorz / The Canadian Press)
Brown plans to run for mayor of Brampton
The roster can also help Brown decide his future in the race. He told CBC News on Wednesday that he is considering running for re-election in Brampton if he looks set to lose to Conservative leadership candidate Pierre Poilievre in September.
“If it looks like Pierre will win, he would rather continue to serve municipally, rather than be part of what will be a Conservative Party election disaster,” Brown told CBC News.
Poilievre’s campaign previously said more than 300,000 members had signed up, while Brown’s campaign claimed to have registered 150,000.
Poilievre marches with vaccine protesters
Meanwhile, Poilievre, the leader of the Conservative leadership race, joined a march on Thursday against vaccine mandates in Ottawa, as party fractures continued to erupt over how members should associate with protesters who are gathered in Ottawa for Canada Day.
Army Reservist James Topp marched through Ottawa on Thursday in protest of vaccine warrants. Poilievre joined him for part of the walk and appeared in online videos talking to Topp and other protesters.
“Today I walked alongside military veteran James Topp, who has toured the country on foot by free choice,” Poilievre said in a tweet. “End all mandates. Restore our freedoms. Let people regain control of their lives.”
Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre left with James Topp, an Army reservist protesting vaccine warrants. (Justin Tang / Canadian Press)
Military police charged Topp in February with two counts of conduct to the detriment of good order and discipline for comments made while wearing the uniform. Since then, Topp has led a four-month march to the capital from Vancouver.
When asked for a comment on Poilievre’s decision to join the protest, Poilievre’s campaign directed CBC News to comments he made to CTV News during the march.
“I think that [Topp] defends freedom of choice. People should have the freedom to make their own decisions with their own bodies and that’s why, I think, he’s walked the country and that’s why I thought I’d greet him and give him an audience and see if he has any ideas. share with me, ”Poilievre told CTV.
It is not the first time prominent Conservatives have met with protesters against the vaccine mandate, including Topp. Last week, a group of Conservative MPs, including leadership candidate Leslyn Lewis, met with organizers of the Freedom Convoy that occupied Ottawa in February.
Today I walked alongside military veteran James Topp, who has toured the country on foot by free choice.
End all mandates. We regain our freedoms. Let people regain control of their lives. pic.twitter.com/yp6XwXEE9B
– @ PierrePoilievre
Support for the Freedom Convoy protests has also been a controversial topic in campaign leadership debates, with candidate Patrick Brown accusing Poilievre of supporting Pat King, a leading figure in the Freedom Convoy. Poilievre denied the accusation, but defended his support for those protesting the vaccine warrants.
Another candidate for leadership, former Quebec Prime Minister Jean Charest, has also pursued Poilievre for his support of the convoy’s protesters.
“Mr Poilievre … supported an illegal blockade,” Charest said in the first debate. “Laws cannot be made and laws broken.”
But in a statement to the media on Thursday, Charest blamed the current protests on the Trudeau government.
“This latest protest is a symptom of Trudeau’s leadership failures,” Charest said. “He continues to show more interest in wedge politics than to get out of this pandemic. In short, as long as the protest remains peaceful, Canadians have a right to express their frustrations.”
Topp stopped his march and drove to Ottawa to attend the meeting, which took place in a government building near Parliament Hill. Topp said he invited all MPs to attend, although only about 20, all Conservatives, did. A spokeswoman for interim Conservative leader Candice Bergen said her office was aware of the event, but did not help organize it.
Former Ontario MPP and current leadership candidate Roman Baber also expressed support for Topp on Thursday.
“March peacefully to give voice to millions of Canadians. Instead of demonizing Canadians, we end all mandates and division. It is time to heal,” he said in a statement.