MP Leslyn Lewis launches Conservative leadership bid for second time

CTV QP: One-on-one with Leslyn Lewis Conservative leadership candidate Leslyn Lewis discusses her position on abortion, the 'Freedom Convoy' protests and her vaccination status.

Conservative MP Leslyn Lewis has formally announced that she will run to be the next leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, for a second time.

Lewis tweeted the news on Tuesday, stating her campaign will focus on “hope, unity and compassion.”

The Ontario-based lawyer and now MP ran in the party’s 2020 leadership race, placing third behind Erin O’Toole and Peter MacKay. Her platform was notably socially conservative.

Prospective candidates have until April 19 to declare their candidacy. As was the case in the 2020 leadership race, the entry fee stands at $200,000, in addition to a compliance deposit of $100,000.

The deadline for applications is June 3, with the party slated to elect a new leader on Sept. 10.

Longtime MP Pierre Poilievre is the only other formally declared candidate in the race, though former Quebec Premier Jean Charest is also expected to throw his name in the ring on Thursday in Calgary.

“There is significant momentum building towards a launch on Thursday. Calgary will be the first stop on his tour. More to come in the next days,” reads an email from his press secretary.

Other names being considered are MacKay, MP Michael Chong, and Brampton, Ont., Mayor Patrick Brown.

In mid-February, a source close to MacKay told CTVNews.ca that the former cabinet minister hadn’t yet made a decision and said there was “lots to consider” with family coming first.

Chong, meanwhile, said he is taking time to reflect on how he can “best help” the party.

MP Marilyn Gladu, who attempted a run in 2020, but failed to qualify as an authorized contestant, former interim leader Rona Ambrose, and political commentator and strategist Tasha Kheiriddin are all out.

Former co-chair of the party's leadership organizing committee and deputy leader Lisa Raitt says Conservatives want to see “vision” in this race.

“They want to see somebody who can sway the population and that’s what they’re going to be looking at,” she said, adding that the logistical challenges of the pandemic made the last contest challenging.

“It was the beginning of the pandemic, everything had to be done online. It was short, it was chaotic…This one will have in-person debates, this one will have in-person speeches and meetings across the country.”

LEWIS’ POLITICAL CAREER

Lewis made the transition from law to politics in 2015, running for the Scarborough – Rouge Park seat. She placed second behind Liberal candidate Gary Anandasangaree.

Following the resignation of Andrew Scheer as Conservative leader, Lewis ran for the party’s top post.

Notably, she dubbed herself as pro-life, said she would scrap the Liberal’s carbon tax, and pledged to implement “good common sense” fiscal policies. She also promised stricter penalties for politicians who break ethics law, and the upholding of individual freedom of speech.

“Canadians will no longer be walking around on eggshells in fear of being punished for innocently saying the wrong thing in a conversation,” said Lewis in a 2020 campaign video.

Despite losing the leadership, she won the Haldimand – Norfolk seat in the 2021 federal election, marking the first time Lewis had a voice in the House of Commons.

Throughout the pandemic, she has come under fire for her skepticism on the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines for children.

On her 2022 campaign website, Lewis says the past two years have seen the Liberal government “divide, discourage and refuse to listen to Canadians” and that Canada has moved away from the basic respect of human freedoms.

As to whether Lewis will once again capture the social conservative vote as she did the last race, Raitt says it might prove more challenging given her competition.

“What I have been seeing is some of the folks who you would put into that part of our party have come out to support Mr. Poilievre already,” she told CTV News Channel’s Power Play.