Who will replace Harper?

[MolsonExport]

Don't you fret, Migs, Stockwell is riding up to save the day (or sell a few bibles):

huffpost

[eternallyme]

If you look at the seats that the Conservatives maintained, one thing we have to remember is that their caucus, overall, is well to the right of the 2011 caucus. It was suburban and Atlantic moderates that were decimated, while the rural base held up well for the most part. That may create a more difficult atmosphere for Red Tories to come up through the ranks.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by eternallyme

If you look at the seats that the Conservatives maintained, one thing we have to remember is that their caucus, overall, is well to the right of the 2011 caucus. It was suburban and Atlantic moderates that were decimated, while the rural base held up well for the most part. That may create a more difficult atmosphere for Red Tories to come up through the ranks.

Are there any Red Tories of consequence in the ranks? I understood that they had been entirely sidelined by Harper Conservatism.

[eternallyme]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

Are there any Red Tories of consequence in the ranks? I understood that they had been entirely sidelined by Harper Conservatism.

Some like Peter Mackay, Bernard Valcourt, Gerald Keddy, James Moore, Peter Braid and some urban backbenchers. All lost (either directly or after retiring).

There were very few Red Tories from rural seats west of New Brunswick.

[lrt's friend]

Originally Posted by eternallyme

If you look at the seats that the Conservatives maintained, one thing we have to remember is that their caucus, overall, is well to the right of the 2011 caucus. It was suburban and Atlantic moderates that were decimated, while the rural base held up well for the most part. That may create a more difficult atmosphere for Red Tories to come up through the ranks.

Rural voters tend to be more conservative and libertarian, so it is normal that the remaining caucus is perhaps even more right winged. However, the party better understand that their future is their ability to attract moderate voters. Completely pushing away the Red Tory faction will leave the Conservative party out of power for the foreseeable future just as it has been the case in Ontario. The Red Tories will simply switch their allegiance to the Liberal party and the 'Natural Governing Party' is reborn after they thought they left them for dead in 2011.

[MonctonRad]

Personally, I don't think there is any inherent contradiction in being both "progressive" and "conservative".

To me it means being socially progressive but economically conservative, and in terms of being progressive, it means seeking change in a pragmatic and cautious manner. Slow and steady can win the race.

Being Liberal on the other hand means being sometimes reckless, which can be upsetting and dangerous.

There is really no difference between a red Tory and a blue Liberal.

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

Rural voters tend to be more conservative and libertarian, so it is normal that the remaining caucus is perhaps even more right winged. However, the party better understand that their future is their ability to attract moderate voters. Completely pushing away the Red Tory faction will leave the Conservative party out of power for the foreseeable future just as it has been the case in Ontario. The Red Tories will simply switch their allegiance to the Liberal party and the 'Natural Governing Party' is reborn after they thought they left them for dead in 2011.

That is certainly why the Ontario PCs don't stand a chance. Voters here had the impression that Christine Elliott would become leader and that she would be competitive with Wynne. Instead the hard right nuts of the party membership went crazy, got the socially conservative Patrick Brown elected and are making the party even more un-electable.

[*Stardust*]

[QUOTE=MonctonRad;7205064
There is really no difference between a red Tory and a blue Liberal.[/QUOTE]

So they say Paul Martin was a blue liberal. Would that mean he could be part of the Tories as well?

[Loco101]

Normally a defeated party like the CPC will look to where they had some promise in the last election. That was obviously Quebec where they actually gained seats. That means that the next leader should be fluent in French. He/she doesn't necessarily have to be a Quebecker though as it would be all three main party leaders would be from Quebec.

One experienced Progressive-Conservative politician I can think of who could be appealing to a broad spectrum of Canadians is Bernard Lord. He is a former Premier of New Brunswick but is currently chair of Ontario Power Generation (OPG) and I'm assuming must be living in Ontario. I could see a number of CPC MPs wanting to retire in a year or two and Lord becoming leader and running in a by-election in a safe seat in Southern Ontario. Lord is 50 years old and was 33 when he became Premier of NB.

[Andy6]

Maxime Bernier wouldn't rule out a bid when he was asked by Le Soleil last night.
It wouldn't surprise me if he ran.

[Andy6]

Originally Posted by Loco101

Normally a defeated party like the CPC will look to where they had some promise in the last election. That was obviously Quebec where they actually gained seats. That means that the next leader should be fluent in French. He/she doesn't necessarily have to be a Quebecker though as it would be all three main party leaders would be from Quebec.

One experienced Progressive-Conservative politician I can think of who could be appealing to a broad spectrum of Canadians is Bernard Lord. He is a former Premier of New Brunswick but is currently chair of Ontario Power Generation (OPG) and I'm assuming must be living in Ontario. I could see a number of CPC MPs wanting to retire in a year or two and Lord becoming leader and running in a by-election in a safe seat in Southern Ontario. Lord is 50 years old and was 33 when he became Premier of NB.

Maybe, but you'd have to be awfully in love with politics to give up a great high-paying gig like that to slog it out for 4-8 years on the rubber-chicken circuit as opposition leader.

[MonctonRad]

I could see a draft Lord movement developing.

He's not an ideal candidate (he was a ditherer as Premier), but he is progressive, francophone and well respected. He would be acceptable to the eastern progressive branch of the party and if the reformers were smart, they should realize that they will need to recapture interest in the east in order to regain power.

[Andy6]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

I could see a draft Lord movement developing.

He's not an ideal candidate (he was a ditherer as Premier), but he is progressive, francophone and well respected. He would be acceptable to the eastern progressive branch of the party and if the reformers were smart, they should realize that they will need to recapture interest in the east in order to regain power.

I might have said that 10 years ago, but I think that was when Conservatives hoped he would be their Frank McKenna. Despite his initial promise, it's hard to think of how he distinguished himself as premier in any way and he had little impact nationally. Not that he might not prove to be a good candidate but he's not someone who's waiting in the wings and capable of taking the country by storm just by walking out onto the stage.

[eternallyme]

Originally Posted by Andy6

I might have said that 10 years ago, but I think that was when Conservatives hoped he would be their Frank McKenna. Despite his initial promise, it's hard to think of how he distinguished himself as premier in any way and he had little impact nationally. Not that he might not prove to be a good candidate but he's not someone who's waiting in the wings and capable of taking the country by storm just by walking out onto the stage.

I know some mention Jean Charest, but he would be a disaster to Reformers, and even in Quebec, many of the regions the Conservatives did well in supported the ADQ/CAQ, not Charest.

[SignalHillHiker]

Trudeau, apparently.

[Kitchissippi]

The answer is clear — the only thing that can end another Trudeau era is a another Mulroney

[esquire]

Originally Posted by Kitchissippi

The answer is clear — the only thing that can end another Trudeau era is a another Mulroney

Ahem, only Joe Clark has ever beaten a Trudeau in a federal election, so naturally...

[Procrastinational]

Originally Posted by esquire

Ahem, only Joe Clark has ever beaten a Trudeau in a federal election, so naturally...

Speaking of Joe Clark, is there anyone within the ranks of the current Conservative party like him? I would definitely rank him as one of the top PC leaders of the 20th century. It's a shame the party went with Mulroney in the 80's (Clark's fault, mind you.) A Clark government could have achieved great things during that time period.

He was very sharp as well as pragmatic, and much more moderate than later PC and Conservative leaders. The fact that he stayed on relatively good terms with PET despite their disagreements (in contrast to Trudeau/Mulroney who despised one another) definitely speaks to the content of his character.

[logan5]

Trudeau doesn't seem to have a mind of his own. He always sounds like he's reading off a script. There's going to be some embarrassing moments for him and for Canada during his tenure as Prime Minister.

[GlassCity]

Originally Posted by logan5

Trudeau doesn't seem to have a mind of his own. He always sounds like he's reading off a script. There's going to be some embarrassing moments for him and for Canada during his tenure as Prime Minister.

I agree. I still voted for the Liberals because I like their platform, but Trudeau as a leader was completely uninspiring to me. Sure he was energetic and even aggressive at times, but just about any time he talked and no matter what question he was asked he would answer with "fear and division/lowering taxes on middle class by asking 1% to pay a little more/modest deficits to invest in infrastructure." He reminds me of when I cram for a test so I go in and write everything I remember in the margin so I don't forget it later on. Feels like he was heavily coached and just had to choose from a bank of 5 responses to any question.