The federal Conservative leadership race is officially underway to replace Andrew Scheer.
Several high-profile names are being mentioned, including former interim party leader Rona Ambrose, current Ottawa-area MP Pierre Pollievre, former Nova Scotia MP and cabinet minister Peter MacKay, and former Ottawa-area MP and cabinet minister John Baird.
Mount Allison University Canadian politics associate professor Mario Levesque says a relatively unknown Quebec-born businessman named Bryan Brulotte has just tossed his hat in the ring.
“He used to help out Peter MacKay with his former leadership bids years ago. So Bryan is in there now which maybe is an indication that MacKay is not in there. But Peter MacKay always remains an outsider. He’s got a lot of baggage that he has to deal with as well,” says Levesque.
He adds MacKay is well-known in Atlantic Canada but he doubts if western Conservatives would accept him.
Levesque says Pierre Pollievre may be young and dynamic but he doesn’t think he’s ready.
He says Jean Charest might be a former Progressive Conservative leader and a Quebec Liberal premier but adds any comeback he’s planning would go nowhere.
Currently dominated by men, Levesque hopes more women will enter the race to see what kind of new ideas can be brought forward.
The Conservatives will choose a new leader on June 27.
