A record 600,000 Canadians are expected to be eligible to vote in the Conservative leadership race this fall, a number of party sources told CBC News.
He is an impressive figure for the party, which has been involved in its third race for five years. The figure of 600,000 includes new members, those who have renewed membership or existing members.
In a statement to CBC News, party president Robert Butterson said the party would not comment on any specific membership numbers proposed by the campaigns, but noted that the party would “set a record for the highest number of paid members of any political party in Canada history. . “
A final, exact figure will not be announced until the party has gone through what promises significant logistical efforts to process and verify membership, Butterson said.
The chief election official must provide a preliminary voter list to the candidates sometime after the midnight break. Applicants can contest membership in the list, and the final list must be submitted no later than July 29, with the competition culminating on September 10.
In the 2020 campaign, almost two months passed between the suspension of membership and the party’s official announcement that about 270,000 members were eligible to vote.
Pierre Poliever’s campaign is urging the party to make public how many members the lawmaker attracted in the party’s election, saying it was important to clarify the status of the party’s race for the top spot.
Poilievre’s team made the call when it posted details of how many members it said it had registered to vote this fall. According to Jenny Byrne, a key strategist at Poilievre, Poilievre is just the latest candidate to win the leadership sales, with nearly 312,000 new members registered through the campaign’s website, according to Jenny Byrne.
Candidate Pierre Poilievre made a point during the debate for the British leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada in Edmonton on May 11. (Jeff Mackintosh / Canadian Press)
A source close to Poilievre, who spoke to CBC News on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak in public, said the campaign had exceeded its goal of selling 175,000 members across the country.
In particular, the source advertised a membership sold in Quebec – expected to be a competitive base to support Jean Charest. The campaign has sold 25,000 new memberships there and has at least 100 supporters in each ride, according to the source.
The source said the campaign believed it could win the first ballot.
Brown, Charest both say victory is near
Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown was the first to step out of the door to win a leader in sales, saying on Friday that his campaign had sold more than 150,000 members.
“When this leadership race started, no one thought we had a chance. We are now on the verge of victory,” he said in an email campaign.
Charest was the next to claim that his sales put him on the road to victory, saying his campaign had added “tens of thousands” of new members and “re-engaged” thousands of former or retired members. The campaign did not provide a specific number.
Patrick Brown gestures during the debate for the British leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada in Edmonton on May 11. (Jeff McIntosh / Canadian Press)
“Based on our recruitment, we have the points we need to win the leadership race,” Charest said in a campaign statement.
The Conservative Leadership Competition Rules give 100 points for each of Canada’s 338 rides, distributed in proportion to the percentage of votes cast. The candidate must earn most of the points to secure leadership.
The campaigns of Leslyn Lewis, Scott Aitchison and Roman Baber have not yet released details on how many memberships they have sold.
Former Quebec Prime Minister Jean Charest was shown during the launch of his Conservative Party of Canada’s leadership campaign at the Wildrose Brewery in Calgary on March 10. (Oseremen Irete / CBC)
A record amount
The total number of members far exceeds the previous leadership competitions.
By comparison, there were 269,469 eligible voters in the 2020 election that crowned Erin O’Toole – a record at the time that easily surpassed the 127,000 Liberal members eligible to vote in the leadership of this party in 2013
Speaking to CBC News on Friday, the Conservative Party did not confirm the overall figure, saying it would take many days to determine the final count, as there is a process to challenge names on the list.
But “there is an unprecedented interest in joining the Conservative Party of Canada,” Butterson said.
The termination of membership at midnight last night also marks a new phase in the campaign. Candidates will now have to persuade and commit to what the new party is doing now, instead of also working to expand the CPC with Canadians sympathetic to their goals.
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