(OTTAWA) The Queen’s death is prompting the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) to rethink how it announces the identity of its next leader.
Posted at 9:01 p.m.
The party had planned to make the announcement at an event in Ottawa on Saturday, but the monarch’s death now means the country will be in mourning during this time.
The chairman of the party’s leadership election organizing committee said in a statement that the party would abide by the protocols surrounding his death.
Ian Brodie said the committee is “considering an appropriate and respectful way” to announce the race results and will provide an update early Friday.
The party has already reserved space at a convention center in downtown Ottawa, sold tickets for $150 and lined up a line-up of speakers for the event, including the former minister and once-aspiring party leader Peter Mackay.
Party honchos, Conservative MPs and the entourage of each of the running candidates have all made plans to get to Ottawa this weekend.
On Thursday, the party also began putting more than 400,000 ballots into machines used to count support to prepare for the announcement of the results expected on Saturday.
This is the second time that the unveiling of a new leader of the Conservative Party has required adjustments. In 2020, the race that led to the coronation of former leader Erin O’Toole had to be suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing candidates to forgo in-person rallies and walkabouts, even the day of the announcement of the results.
This week, the party was delighted with the massive participation of 418,000 members who sent in their ballot out of a total of 678,700 eligible members to vote.
According to the Conservatives, these numbers would be records in Canadian politics and would show that the wind is blowing in the sails of the party.
MP Pierre Poilievre said earlier his campaign team had sold more than 300,000 membership cards, suggesting he would be the frontrunner in the race.