Conservative leadership contestants suspending campaign events due to COVID-19

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OTTAWA — Half of the Conservative leadership candidates have decided to call off any upcoming campaign rallies and events, over concerns about the growing spread of the novel coronavirus, while others are taking precautions.

Heeding public health advice, Peter MacKay, Erin O'Toole, Rick Peterson, and Leslyn Lewis have all notified supporters that they will be eliminating any public campaign activities from their schedules for now.

"Due to the COVID-19 pandemic we will be suspending all future public campaign events for the foreseeable future," MacKay posted online and sent in an email to supporters.

Peterson said that "based on the rapid escalation of COVID-19 in Canada" he's calling off any in-person and meet-and-greet events for all members of his campaign team.

O'Toole said that his team will be "continuing to monitor advice from public health officials," but for now, public campaign events are suspended.

And, Lewis said her campaign will not be organizing any public events, and instead will "focus on connecting with people in ways that minimizes in-person contact."

Rudy Husny has not yet decided to stop all public events but said he is in touch with local campaign organizers and party officials “to seek guidance on how we should proceed in this leadership,” adding that “public health is paramount and my campaign will take the necessary precautions at the direction of local health officials.”

Marilyn Gladu’s campaign also said it’s heeding public health advice, and is “assessing events and activities on a daily and event-by-event basis using PHAC's criteria for public safety.”

These decisions come as a campaign meet-and-greet was scheduled with five of the Conservative leadership candidates in Hamilton, Ont. Thursday evening.

CTVNews.ca has reached out to candidates Derek Sloan and Jim Karahalios for comment on their campaign plans.

The decision to limit the in-person campaign outreach comes as all candidates continue to march closer to several key deadlines in the race to replace Andrew Scheer.

While O'Toole and MacKay have already hit this bar, March 25 marks the deadline for candidates to make it on to the ballot and become what the party is calling a "verified candidate."

Should they still be going ahead, the party has scheduled two leadership debates.

The first will be held on April 17, in English, in Toronto. That is also the deadline for Canadians to become Conservative Party members and be eligible to cast a ballot in the leadership vote.

Then the candidates will debate each other in French, on April 23 in Montreal.

Finally, the Conservatives are set to elect their next leader on June 27 in Toronto.

As of Tuesday, Conservative Party spokesperson Cory Hann said that the party is "monitoring the situation closely, and of course will take the advice and recommendations of public health professionals like the Chief Public Health Officer, but our Leadership event is currently scheduled to go ahead as planned."