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Push on for Conservative leadership candidates as contest resumes

Apr 30, 2020 | 3:23 PM

OTTAWA — Conservative leadership candidates were dusting off their dormant fundraising plans Thursday as the race to replace Andrew Scheer officially resumed.

The four contenders have two weeks left to sign up Conservative party members who can vote in the contest.

Ballots will be in the mail in early summer and must be back in the party’s hands by Aug. 21, the new deadline date announced late Wednesday night.

Leadership organizing committee co-chair Dan Nowlan says while no firm date has been set to reveal the winner, he expects it to be a matter of days once all the votes are cast.

One thing is for certain: the big reveal won’t be in a convention centre packed with hundreds of eager party members.

Nowlan says the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic, which already forced the delay of the race, mean organizers will need to find a different way to generate the excitement.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 30, 2020.

The Canadian Press