The True North - Reform Party leadership election, 2003

[MAINEiac4434]

Preston Manning saw his party grow from a fringe movement to the only major conservative party left in the country. Still, losing 30 seats saw him resign as leader.

Stockwell Day, MP for Okanagan-Coquihalla - Day, an arch-conservative and critic of Manning's leadership, served as Minister of Labour in the Alberta government in the 90s. He oversaw a 5% reduction in collective bargaining agreements and eliminated the ministry's compensation board's unfunded mandate of $600 million, leading to a reduction in premiums for businesses in the province. He supports a flat tax, is a social conservative and is linked to the Christian right. He opposed the Liberals' same-sex marriage bill in the previous parliament and is a young-earth creationist, and is thought to be a bad candidate to attract Progressive Conservative members because of this. Despite his controversial views, he is very popular with the right-wing of the party.

Stephen Harper, MP for Calgary Heritage - While Harper is certainly right-wing, he is considered closer to the center than Day and more appealing to former PC supporters. He is not as extreme in his social views as Day, such as his personal opposition to same-sex marriage but his belief that it is a "settled matter." Further, he supported a national gun registry. He is a supporter of American foreign policy, and opposes Manning's populism, saying that Reform should drop some of their more extreme social conservative views to focus on fiscal issues.

Keith Martin, MP for Esquimalat-Juan De Fuca - Martin is the centrist in the race, an ardent social liberal and fiscal conservative. He is seen as someone who can unequivocally unite PC supporters under the Reform banner. He supports changing the party's name to "Conservative Alliance", dropping the Reform brand which he calls "toxic east of Manitoba," pointing to the party's failure to win seats in Ontario and Quebec despite the PC's collapse.

[Kingpoleon]

1. Martin
2. Harper

[DC Al Fine]

Stock

[Orthogonian Society Treasurer]

Christ, what a sorry lot. Day, I suppose.

Sad to see Canada deprived of a prime minister Manning but then again, we don't deserve him.

[MAINEiac4434]

Christ, what a sorry lot. Day, I suppose.

Sad to see Canada deprived of a prime minister Manning but then again, we don't deserve him.

Who would you like to see run in the future?

[MAINEiac4434]

Stockwell Day is duly elected leader of the Reform Party.

[Orthogonian Society Treasurer]

Christ, what a sorry lot. Day, I suppose.

Sad to see Canada deprived of a prime minister Manning but then again, we don't deserve him.

Who would you like to see run in the future?

Some candidates, conventional or otherwise, off the top of my head:

- Mark Steyn
- Mike Harris
- Ezra Levant
- Jason Kenney
- Rex Murphy

[MAINEiac4434]

Christ, what a sorry lot. Day, I suppose.

Sad to see Canada deprived of a prime minister Manning but then again, we don't deserve him.

Who would you like to see run in the future?

Some candidates, conventional or otherwise, off the top of my head:

- Mark Steyn
- Mike Harris
- Ezra Levant
- Jason Kenney
- Rex Murphy

I'll keep them in mind for the future. Thanks!

[Kingpoleon]

Is it possible Peter Mackay or Catherine Jane Clark will run for Leader?

[MAINEiac4434]

Is it possible Peter Mackay or Catherine Jane Clark will run for Leader?

Yes, they will, on moderate platforms, assuming Day doesn't beat Layton in the next election. The PCs will still exist for the next election, but I'm expecting them to get wiped out.

[Kingpoleon]

Is it possible Peter Mackay or Catherine Jane Clark will run for Leader?

Yes, they will, on moderate platforms, assuming Day doesn't beat Layton in the next election. The PCs will still exist for the next election, but I'm expecting them to get wiped out.

That all depends on how us Martin voters vote, doesn't it?

[MAINEiac4434]

Is it possible Peter Mackay or Catherine Jane Clark will run for Leader?

Yes, they will, on moderate platforms, assuming Day doesn't beat Layton in the next election. The PCs will still exist for the next election, but I'm expecting them to get wiped out.

That all depends on how us Martin voters vote, doesn't it?

At this point, the PCs are a Quebec only party and two of their three remaining MPs are openly contemplating floor-crossing to the Liberals. I'm not even sure if I'll have them run a full slate of candidates.