Following Charest's defeat at the hands of Paul Martin in June 1997, the Tories have now gathered in Toronto to select a new leader in the hopes of creating a path to defeat the Liberals in 2001.
Lets look at the candidates.
Kim “The Frontrunner” Campbell – First elected in 1988, Campbell would go on to retain her seat in both the elections of 1993 and 1997. In her time as an MP she has served as a Minister in both the Mulroney and Charest Governments, starting out as the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and later as Minister of Justice and Attorney General. She would also go on to serve briefly as Defence Minister in 1993, the same year she ran to succeed Mulroney as Tory leader. In that contest she was defeated by then Environment Minister Jean Charest, who appointed her as his Deputy. She has been instrumental in rebuilding Tory fortunes in the West, and being both Blue on economic issues and red on social issues, pundits have argued that while she may not be the most elegant debater in the house and has been known to put her foot in her mouth from time to time, she is arguably the best positioned candidate in the race.
Bill “The Independent” Casey – Like Campbell, Casey was first elected in 1988 “Free-Trade” election and would be re-elected in 93 and 97. Originally a backbench MP of the Mulroney Government, Casey made his first Cabinet debut in the Charest Government as the country’s Defence Minister. Casey would hold this position until the Tories defeat in 1997. Dubbed by his former Cabinet colleagues as “a free thinker”, most pundits agree that the MP for Cumberland—Colchester has what some would call an “Independent streak” who isn’t afraid to speak his mind. While this has caused some backlashes in the past, it has garnered Casey a reputation of being a down to earth guy. Where Campbell’s strength is in the West, Casey’s is in the East, gathering the support from almost every Atlantic Troy, including rising star Peter MacKay and some parts of Ontario. Pundits agree that if any Candidate has a chance to defeat Campbell, its Casey.
Rob “The Insurgent” Nicholson – A former MP in the Mulroney Government, Nicholson served as Parliamentary Secretary to both the Government House leader and the Attorney General. First elected in 1984, Nicholson would go on to be re-elected by a narrow margin in 1988, only to lose it in 1993 to Liberal Gary Pillitteri. Although defeated, Nicholson would go on to make a comeback in the last election, beating Pillitteri in an upset, becoming one of only three Conservative MPs from the province. Pundits have suggested that with such a poor showing in Ontario, Nicholson will attempt to portray himself as the compromise candidate in the race who could rebuild the party in the rich province. If the race is as close as some suggest the possibility of Nicholson emerging as the “King Maker” of the contest.
Pierre “Regional Candidate” Blais – First elected as part of the Mulroney sweep of 1984, Blais has admitted that the main reason he has entered the race is to offer delegates a Quebec candidate for the leadership. Although pundits suggests he may not play much of a role, they concede the Quebec MP is as experienced as any of the other candidates in the race, serving as Minister of State for agriculture, Corporate and Consumer Affairs until being promoted, albeit briefly, as Justice Minister by former Prime Minister Mulroney in 1993. Having been re-elected in 88, 93 and most recently 97, Blais is the only leadership aspirant from Quebec, a major change considering the last two party leaders were from the province. Political pundits have suggested that Blais brings little to the table, and a possible victory on his part would offer very little to the Tories in terms of potential gains.