Approximately 675K eligible to vote in Conservative leadership race: party
The Conservative Party of Canada says approximately 675,000 members will be eligible to vote in this year鈥檚 leadership race.
Party representatives told reporters Thursday the historic number reflects the success of each campaign鈥檚 outreach efforts.
鈥淲e've had six credible candidates out there, each with a slightly different message to Canadians, but taken together, it's resonated in a way that has produced this extraordinary mobilization,鈥 said Ian Brodie, chair of the Leadership Election Organizing Committee.
In February, before the June 3 membership sign-up deadline was set, there were about 113,000 active members nationally 鈥 excluding those whose memberships were set to expire by that date.
The preliminary 675,000 tally has been scrubbed of non-compliance sales 鈥 transactions not in line with leadership rules 鈥 and duplicate memberships.
鈥淚n the frenzy of a leadership race, it's normal to draw in people who don't know all the ins and outs of party finance rules,鈥 Brodie said.
Among those who registered over the course of the last several months, 95 per cent purchased their memberships online.
The party is releasing the list to each individual campaign Thursday. Candidates and their teams have until Monday at midnight to challenge any names they feel have been listed 鈥渋mproperly.鈥
By that same deadline, they can also request to have a name added if they believe an individual has been missed.
鈥淥ur chief returning officer Don Nightingale has the authority to make decisions about challenges. His decisions can then be appealed to our dispute resolution appeals committee. Once all of these challenges have been disposed of, the chief returning officer then promulgates the final voters list,鈥 said Brodie.
The party doesn鈥檛 usually release preliminary membership numbers, but did so this time given the notable surge.
The most recent high was recorded during the party merger in 2004, which combined several leadership contests to reach 282,000 memberships.
Ballot packages will be mailed out in batches over the next several weeks, the party said, and must be returned by Sept. 6. A new leader will be named Sept. 10.
During the 2020 leadership race, results were significantly delayed due to thousands of ballots being damaged upon opening.
The automated envelope opening machines were slicing both the envelope and some ballots, requiring a fresh ballot to be re-marked with the identical data in order for it to be properly scanned and tabulated.
Yaroslav Baran, who handles media communications for the current leadership contest, told CTVNews.ca on Thursday they鈥檝e made processing changes to avoid a similar issue.
鈥淕iven the volumes we are dealing with, the party has really increased the number of people processing every stage. There is a small army of people working on this, and that small army will be repurposed to ballot validation once we are in that stage,鈥 said Baran in an emailed statement.
CANDIDATES WEIGH IN
Jean Charest鈥檚 campaign said the membership number is 鈥済reat news鈥 for the party and that they are 鈥渧ery confident鈥 they have a motivated base.
鈥淲e will continue to persuade party membership by offering real ideas and solutions that will make us competitive in the next federal election,鈥 said Director of Communications, Michelle Coates Mather in a statement.
Jamie Ellerton, campaign manager for Scott Aitchison, said 675,000 Canadians have 鈥渟tepped up鈥 to help the party 鈥渟trive for a better Canada.鈥
鈥淪cott Aitchison will launch his national Hope and Respect Tour next month and continue to work to build a Conservative Party that can deliver the results and good government that Justin Trudeau is incapable or unwilling to provide,鈥 a statement reads.
麻豆影视 reached out to all campaigns for comment but at the time of publication, had only heard from the above.
With files from 麻豆影视' Rachel Aiello
IN DEPTH
Jagmeet Singh pulls NDP out of deal with Trudeau Liberals, takes aim at Poilievre Conservatives
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has pulled his party out of the supply-and-confidence agreement that had been helping keep Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's minority Liberals in power.
'Not the result we wanted': Trudeau responds after surprise Conservative byelection win in Liberal stronghold
Conservative candidate Don Stewart winning the closely-watched Toronto-St. Paul's federal byelection, and delivering a stunning upset to Justin Trudeau's candidate Leslie Church in the long-time Liberal riding, has sent political shockwaves through both parties.
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government鈥檚 three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party鈥檚 popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn鈥檛 be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Kids are inhaling 'Galaxy Gas' to get high. Here鈥檚 what parents should know
For some young people, a popular method for getting a quick high is by misusing laughing gas 鈥 and lately, that鈥檚 in the form of nitrous oxide from products sold by the company Galaxy Gas.
鈥楾icking time bomb鈥: Those who raised suspicions about Trump suspect question if enough was done
The more Chelsea Walsh talked to the eccentric fellow American who seemed to pop up in every square and cobblestone street of Ukraine's capital, the more she got creeped out.
How to win the fight with kids over phone use
The end of the day 鈥 when school, extracurricular activities and homework are (hopefully) finally done 鈥 is the window that many kids have for downtime. It can be a struggle to convince them not to go on their phones.
Myths busted and lessons learned: John Vennavally-Rao on his surgery to reverse his ostomy
Twenty-seven year 麻豆影视 reporter and anchor John Vennavally-Rao shares his story of what it was like to have an ostomy bag as part of his health-care battle. 'I鈥檓 grateful for what it did to extend my life,' he writes in a personal column for CTVNews.ca.
Conservatives call on Elon Musk to step in after Liberals provide loan to Ottawa-based satellite operator
A $2.14-billion federal loan for an Ottawa-based satellite operator has Canadian politicians arguing about whether American billionaire Elon Musk poses a national security risk.
Kamala Harris accepts CNN debate invitation for Oct. 23, challenging Trump to another showdown
U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris on Saturday accepted an invitation from CNN to debate former U.S. president Donald Trump on Oct. 23.
Tattoos are becoming more common in today's society and, as a result, appear to be more acceptable in the workplace than they used to be.
Housing support for adult children with severe autism is 'absolutely absurd,' say parents
Looking after an adult with severe autism can be a full-time job. Ask any parent who has a child severely affected by autism spectrum disorder 鈥 it鈥檚 a job that can get more difficult as the child becomes an adult.
The small-town Ontario woman caught in Harrods sexual assault 'coverup'
An Ontario woman is among the dozens of people who have come forward to allege that they were sexually abused by London-based businessman Mohamed Al Fayed, the former chairman and owner of Harrods.
Local Spotlight
Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.
Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.
An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.
They say a dog is a man鈥檚 best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.
A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.
Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.
The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.
It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.