Conservatives are converging on Moncton today for a Federal Leadership Debate.
Former provincial Progressive Conservative party leadership candidate Monica Barley is going to be moderating the debate between the 14 leadership candidates.
She explains the format for tonight’s two hour long debate at the Crowne Plaza Hotel starting at 7:30.
“We will ask a total of eight questions, each candidate will have an opportunity to respond, they will each have 50 seconds,” says Barley. “Each candidate will also have, at any point in time during the debate, a 30 second rebuttal opportunity.”
Conservative Party Communications Director Cory Hann says the candidates don’t know the questions in advance but for half the questions are given a heads up on topic.
Those are employment, infrastructure and labour, as well as family, children and health.
“No one has the questions in advance, they will all be on the spot,” says Hann.
Barley says the eight questions came from two different sources.
“We provided an opportunity to the [party] members and Canadians in general to provide questions that they would hope to be asked,” says Barley. “And from that list that was compiled, we chose a total of four questions from that group, and four questions from the organizing committee.”
The 14 Candidates are as follows:
- MP Maxime Bernier
- MP Michael Chong
- MP Kellie Leitch
- MP Erin O’Toole
- MP Lisa Raitt
- MP Andrew Scheer
- MP Brad Trost
- MP Pierre Lemieux
- Former MP Chris Alexander
- Former MP Steven Blaney
- Former MP Deepak Obhrai
- Former MP Andrew Saxton
- President of the College of Physicians and Surgeons for Manitoba, Dan Lindsay
- British Columbia businessman Rick Peterson
