The Canadian Press
OTTAWA–Former Conservative party leader and prime minister Stephen Harper is not expected at this month’s leadership convention, party officials said yesterday.
Party members will converge in Toronto on May 27 to choose his official replacement.
But while interim Conservative leader Rona Ambrose is scheduled to speak, the party says Harper is not.
“He’s ready to pass the torch,” said a party official, who requested anonymity because they hadn’t been cleared by the party to disclose Harper’s plans.
Harper spent 12 years as the inaugural leader of the united Conservative party, winning the 2004 race easily in a three-candidate contest where members were allowed to vote by fax and ballots were counted by hand.
Now the party is preparing for a highly-automated vote count process to manage what could be as many as 259,010 ranked ballots, on which voters can make as many as 10 choices out of 13 different candidates.
Over the course of the campaign, Harper has spoken with many of those in the running, offering advice and guidance when asked.
Kevin O’Leary, the celebrity businessman who dropped out of the race last month, called on him several times and has said he valued Harper’s input on the regional political dynamics of the country.
Publicly, though, Harper largely has stayed under the radar in Canada, although he’s made appearances around the globe in his new role as consultant.
