Candidates vying to be the next leader of the Conservative Party of Canada will face off in the first party-sanctioned debate next Wednesday.
The English-language debate on May 11 will be held in Edmonton and hosted by former political journalist Tom Clark, while the official French-language debate will take place in Laval, Que. on May 25.
The party’s Leadership Election Organizing Committee (LEOC) stated in a memorandum that it is “reserving the rights to add a third debate in early August.”
Topics will be sent out to candidates one week in advance of each debate. LEOC rules stipulate that candidates are required to attend all official debates.
“We look forward to spirited but respectful discourse, and thank all candidates for putting their names forward to benefit our Party, and all Canadians,” reads the memorandum.
The deadline to sign up members is June 3, with the party slated to elect a new leader on Sept. 10.
• Read the bios: get to know the Conservative candidates and their political pasts
• For more on where each candidate stands on key issues, read our primer
Five of six contenders got their first taste of battle on May 5 at the first unofficial debate hosted by the Canada Strong and Free Network, a political advocacy group founded by Preston Manning, former leader of the Reform Party of Canada.
Patrick Brown was not present.
Jean Charest and Pierre Poilievre sparred over their political histories, while Leslyn Lewis, Roman Baber, and Scott Aitchison took hits at one another over issues like lockdowns, the freedom convoy, and political polarization.
Catch full coverage of Wednesday’s event on CTVNews.ca starting at 8 PM EDT/ 6 PM MT and follow along with our live blog.
