The race to succeed Stephen Harper as Conservative Party leader is full, with 13 people confirmed as official candidates to lead the party into the next election.
Here's your CTVNews.ca primer on who the Conservative Party members can choose from when they vote on Harper's replacement on May 27, 2017.
Chris Alexander
- Former diplomat and MP for Ontario's Ajax riding
- First elected in 2011, defeating Liberal Mark Holland. Holland re-took the seat in 2015
- Former immigration minister and parliamentary secretary to the defence minister
- Heavily criticized in 2015 election for appearing at press conference to propose "barbaric cultural practices" tipline
- Says tipline part of the reason for the Conservatives’ election loss
- Says bombastic TV interview amid Syrian refugee crisis was due to frustration over lack of media attention to the issue
Maxime Bernier
- MP for Beauce, south of Quebec City
- Held cabinet posts including foreign affairs and industry
- Was demoted from foreign affairs minister after leaving sensitive documents at girlfriend’s home
- A libertarian, he broke with his party over the 2009 General Motors and Chrysler bailouts
- Supports privatizing Canada Post, abolishing the CRTC, expanding free trade and ending supply management
- Says Conservatives need to offer Canadians "not solutions involving Ottawa redistributing more money from some regions to others, but solutions based on a freer economy, on responsibility and fairness"
Steven Blaney
- MP for Quebec's Bellechasse - Les Etchemins - Lévis riding
- Former engineer
- First elected in 2006 and re-elected three times
- Former public safety minister and veterans affairs minister
- As public safety minister, introduced the controversial bill C-51, which extended law enforcement and surveillance powers amid a great deal of criticism
- Made first campaign policy announcement about requiring voters to show their faces when casting ballots
Michael Chong
- MP for Wellington--Halton Hills, outside of Toronto
- Served as minister of intergovernmental affairs and minister of sport
- Resigned from cabinet over the Conservative government's motion to recognize the Quebecois as a nation
- Disagreed with Harper’s policy of banning face coverings at citizenship ceremonies
- Supports lower taxes and preserving the environment, in part by using carbon pricing to lower income taxes
- Championed a bill to try to give caucus more power
- Endorsed by former environment minister Peter Kent
- Child of Dutch and Chinese immigrants
- Told CTV’s Power Play that the party must "reach out to new Canadians and re-earn their trust"
Pierre Lemieux
- Former Conservative MP
- Represented eastern Ontario's Glengarry-Prescott-Russell riding from 2006 to 2015
- Served 20 years in the Canadian Forces
- Holds a Master of Science and a professional engineer designation
- First leadership policy raised was gender-selective abortion -- Lemieux says he opposes it and wants to discuss it, arguing no debate should be closed in a democracy.
Kellie Leitch
- MP for Simcoe--Grey, a rural Ontario riding
- Former minister of labour and minister responsible for the status of women
- Worked as a pediatric orthopaedic surgeon at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto
- Drew criticism for encouraging citizens to report "barbaric cultural practices" to a government tip line
- Told CTV News in April she wants to "rebuild a Conservative party that unifies the country"
Deepak Obhrai
- Long-time Alberta MP for Calgary Forest Lawn
- The longest continuously serving Tory currently in the House of Commons
- Former Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs
- First announced his intention to run for leadership in an internal email to fellow Conservative MPs
- Played a key role in helping the party reach out to immigrants and minority groups during election season
- Considers himself a grassroots leader with a strong background in working with communities
- Believes the Conservative party should scrap its membership fees and said increasing those fees could put the party at risk of becoming an “elitist, white-only club.
Erin O'Toole
- MP for Ontario's Durham riding
- First elected in 2012 byelection after Bev Oda resigned; re-elected in 2015
- A lawyer and former air force officer
- Served as veterans afffairs minister
- Credited with rebuliding relations with veterans after taking over from Julian Fantino, who was widely criticized for his handling of the file
Rick Peterson
- Vancouver investment advisor and businessman
- Also ran for B.C. Conservative Party leadership
- Says he wants to end U.S. border hassles, eliminate corporate income tax and build a digital government with "the best modern technology."
Lisa Raitt
- MP for Ontario's Milton riding (formerly Halton) since 2008
- Former natural resources minister, labour minister and transport minister
- Served as Toronto Port Authority president and CEO
- Holds Osgoode Hall law degree and master of science from the University of Guelph
- Grew up in Cape Breton, N.S.
- Revealed earlier this fall that her husband has early-onset Alzheimer's disease
Andrew Saxton
- Businessman and former banking executive
- Former Conservative MP elected in 2008 and re-elected in 2011
- Lost 2015 race to Liberal Jonathan Wilkinson
- Served as parliamentary secretary to the treasury board president and to the finance minister
- Says he's committed to free and unfettered economy
Andrew Scheer
- MP for Regina-Qu'Appelle in Saskatchewan since 2004
- Grew up in Ottawa before marrying a Saskatchewan woman and running for office there
- Elected youngest-ever Speaker of the House of Commons in 2011 at age 32
- In opposition, served as Conservative House leader until he stepped down mid-September
- Has voted against gay marriage and is anti-abortion but says, like Harper, he wouldn't reopen those debates.
- Kicked off leadership bid by announcing support of 20 MPs and senators
Brad Trost
- Saskatchewan MP for Saskatoon-University
- Calls himself "100% conservative" and openly opposes gay marriage and abortion
- Hinted at running for the leadership in May after Jason Kenney, then a possible contender for the job, voted to support the motion to drop the party's policy defining marriage as being between one man and one woman
- Quietly launched his campaign website in August while on summer vacation with his family in Mongolia
- Formerly worked as an exploration geophysicist and has served as a member of the natural resources committee
- First elected to the House of Commons in 2004
Who else was considering running?
- Peter MacKay, former defence minister, has decided not to run, citing family reasons
Who has dropped out of the race?
- Conservative MP Tony Clement quit the leadership race on Oct. 12, three months after announcing his bid. Clement said he hadn’t hit the fall benchmarks he’d set for the campaign, including his fundraising goals.
- Winnipeg radiologist Dan Lindsay quit the leadership race on Dec. 30.
- Celebrity investor Kevin O'Leary quit the leadership race on April 26, arguing he couldn't win enough seats in Quebec to lead the party to a majority government. O'Leary threw his support to Quebec MP Maxime Bernier, but since the leadership convention isn't delegated, there's no guarantee his supporters will take his advice.
- Toronto Communications consultant Adrienne Snow, who wasn't an official candidate, ended her leadership bid on Jan. 5. Official candidates need to have paid half of the $50,000 entrance fee, as well as a $50,000 compliance deposit, and had their paper work approved by the party.
With files from Josh Dehaas, Graham Slaughter and The Canadian Press
