(Ottawa) Jean Charest casts doubt on his intentions if he does not win the Conservative Party leadership race on September 10.
Posted at 4:30 p.m.
Updated at 9:01 p.m.
Will he be a candidate in the next elections if Pierre Poilievre caps him at the finish line? Does he intend to put his shoulder to the wheel to unite the party in order to face the troops of Justin Trudeau during the next election campaign even if he is not elected the leader by the Conservative members?
The principal concerned dodged the pointed questions on this subject Wednesday evening during the third and last debate organized by the party within the framework of this long race for the leadership. “There is only one possible scenario. I will become the leader of the party,” Mr. Charest later told reporters after the debate, while affirming that he was the only candidate capable of uniting the party and the country at the same time.
Only three of the five candidates showed up at an Ottawa studio on Wednesday night to cross swords: Jean Charest, Ontario MP Scott Aitchison and former Ontario MPP Roman Baber.
Pierre Poilievre, who is considered the leader of the race, withdrew on the grounds that he had already taken part in enough debates. Instead, he courted party members by campaigning in Saskatchewan. Ontario MP Leslyn Lewis was also conspicuous by her absence. She made it known last week that she found it unacceptable that the issue of abortion was not brought up in this debate. The two refractory candidates face a fine of $50,000 from the party.
The 90-minute debate (the first half was in English and the second in French) hardly provoked the flames of the other oratorical contests, the exchanges being courteous and respectful between the three candidates on topics such as transport, changes climate change and the carbon tax, reconciliation with first nations, and the future of the country’s health care system, among other things.
It was MP Scott Aitchison who questioned Jean Charest three times during the debate on his intentions if he does not win the bet on September 10. “The unity of the country is very important, but the unity of our party is also. I challenge you Jean, because there has been a lot of talk about what might happen if I don’t win and if you don’t win. We must unite as a party once this race is over, no matter who is the leader. Will you contribute to this effort? Will you work with the next boss, no matter who wins? said Mr. Aitchison.
Mr. Charest dodged the question, preferring to flesh out his response on the subject of the environment by saying that the Conservative Party had no chance of winning the next election if it did not come up with a credible plan in this area.
Dissatisfied, Mr. Aitchison revived the former Premier of Quebec on two other occasions. Mr. Charest responded by shooting an arrow in the direction of Pierre Poilievre, saying that a candidate who does not deign to participate in a debate organized by the party cannot unite the troops and is downright disrespectful towards the members.
“If we want to unite the party, you have to show up here, you have to show up and talk to party members and not treat them with contempt. At this point in the race, about 25% of the members have voted and 75% of you have not yet voted. You have the right to hold us accountable for what we offer in terms of leadership,” said Mr. Charest.
He then recalled his long service, both as leader of the Progressive Conservative Party on the federal scene and on the provincial scene as Premier of Quebec. He said he has the experience to lead a party and a government, while maintaining the unity of the party and the country.
To the journalists who questioned him on this subject, Mr. Charest showed signs of impatience when we mentioned the advance that Pierre Poilievre would hold. “I will win the leadership race. This is my deep conviction. I urge you to be careful. This isn’t the first time people have predicted there’s going to be an outcome. All my life, I’ve lived with that. All my life. I am the politician in Canada whose political end, death, has been most predicted. My whole career, I lived with that. It’s not new. There is only one possible scenario, and that is winning the leadership race, uniting the party, and becoming Prime Minister of Canada.”
The next Conservative leader will be known on September 10. Some 675,000 members are registered to vote. So far, 150,000 members have spoken. Ballots must be received by September 6 to be counted.
In Regina, Pierre Poilievre mocked the format of the debate, saying the candidates appeared to be playing a game of cards.
“Looks like they were playing cards. Except there were no cards. I much prefer being here talking to the real world,” he quipped.