Political columnist Tasha Kheiriddin finally gives up running for the Conservative Party leadership. Rather, she ranks behind Jean Charest, to whom she has promised her support. The former Prime Minister of Quebec is preparing to formalize his candidacy this Thursday, according to information from the Homework.
Ms. Kheiriddin was very tempted to run for the leadership of the Conservative Party, as a bilingual candidate and daughter of immigrants who would be able to rally the large Conservative family and woo the electorate of Quebec, the greater Toronto area and that of Vancouver. But his team realized that it would be difficult for him to chart a path to victory in a race featuring other Progressive Conservative candidates like Jean Charest and potentially the former MP who became mayor of Brampton Patrick Brown.
Especially since by no longer being active in the party in recent years, Ms. Kheiriddin had less support acquired among current party members. MP Pierre Poilievre has already started his campaign and pro-life MP Leslyn Lewis would do so this week, according to those around him.
Tasha Kheiriddin spoke with Mr. Charest on Sunday to announce his decision to withdraw and support him in the race, since Mr. Charest proposes a vision for the Conservative leadership very similar to the one she would have presented. She could now lend him a hand, just like “the vast majority” of her close team of about forty people who would now be willing to contribute to Jean Charest’s campaign, according to our information.
Charest soon in the race
After weeks of reflection, Jean Charest is preparing to confirm that he will be a candidate this Thursday, told the Homework a source in his entourage.
The former leader of the federal Progressive Conservative Party (1993-1998) and then Premier of Quebec (2003-2012) was in Ottawa last week to meet some fifty Conservative MPs and senators in the hope of convincing them to support him in the race. He also multiplied calls across the country.
The abandonment last week of the Mâchurer investigation by the Permanent Anti-Corruption Unit (UPAC) on the financing of the Liberal Party of Quebec, during the Charest years, was seen as a “gift from heaven” by his team.
Tasha Kheiriddin has known Mr. Charest for years, having notably worked in his campaign when he ran for the leadership of the Progressive Conservative Party in 1993 before arriving second behind Kim Campbell. Mr. Charest finally became leader after the electoral defeat that same year, when only he and another MP were re-elected.
Involved in the Progressive Conservative Party in the 1990s, Ms. Kheiriddin later worked in the media world, then in right-wing organizations such as the Canadian Taxpayers Federation and think-tanks such as the Montreal Economic Institute. and the Fraser Institute. She had become known to the general public in recent years as a political commentator, notably on the airwaves of Radio-Canada and CBC.
The Conservative Party will choose its next leader on September 10. Aspiring candidates have until April 19 to enter the race.