Canada’s Conservatives Seek a Champion, and Redemption
He and others bristled at the tight leash Mr. Harper kept on his cabinet,
but a government motion giving Quebec a form of nationhood within Canada was too much for Mr. Chong; he resigned rather than vote for the motion, as cabinet rules required.
But Canada’s Conservatives are in the political wilderness, still smarting from their defeat by Justin Trudeau
and his Liberals in October 2015, and lacking a permanent leader to replace Stephen Harper, the former prime minister, who quickly dropped from sight after the election.
Ms. Leitch, who was a cabinet minister in the Harper government, has cast herself as a
populist, pushing immigration policies that are the opposite of those of Mr. Trudeau.
Mr. Bernier wants to end all government aid to corporations, even though many companies based
in Quebec, like Bombardier, the aircraft and rail car maker, depend heavily on the state.
Whoever prevails also becomes the leader of the official opposition in Parliament — and, if the
Tories can win the most seats in the House of Commons, would become the next prime minister.
