OTTAWA -- The Conservative leadership race has been long and, at times, dreary. The candidates have debated policy, laid out their plans should they become leader, and generally made their carefully prepared cases for why they should each be the one to face off against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Sometimes you just want to know a little bit more about who they are -- their personality beyond the talking points. To that end, CTVNews.ca asked each candidate to describe their ideal dinner party: what would they serve, who would they invite, and who would be their dream guest.
Some of the contestants went big with their guest lists. Saskatchewan MP Andrew Scheer would invite Wayne Gretzky, author Hilary Mantel and British MEP Daniel Hannan.
He'd also invite "one of the Ryans... either Gosling or Reynolds. Both would be excessive," Scheer said in an email to CTVNews.ca.
Former immigration minister Chris Alexander, on the other hand, would set 16 places for a range of global figures, including Queen Rania of Jordan and Bank of England Governor Mark Carney, academics Victoria Kaspi and Indira Samarasekera, Canadian musicians Leslie Feist and Emily Haines and Linamar CEO Linda Hasenfratz. He'd also invite Malala Yusafzai and Nadia Murad, a Yazidi survivor of ISIS human trafficking and a UN ambassador.
Others, like Ontario MP Kellie Leitch, B.C. businessman Rick Peterson and Quebec MP Maxime Bernier, would keep the guest list to close family and friends. Ontario MP Lisa Raitt would invite her neighbours and their families, while Michael Chong, another Ontario MP, would invite his wife and their close friends.
Ontario MP Erin O'Toole may have provided the cheekiest answer: he would invite the other leadership candidates, "because I want them involved after I win."
Because most of the answers are as unique as the candidates, we're going to let you see if you can match the leadership contender to their preferred menus and guest of honour. Who would start their dinner party with caviar, and who got a brand-new smoker he's dying to try out? Who prefers lemon meringue pie to apple? And who would invite the Queen and Prince Phillip? Let's see how you do.
