Conservative
      Leadership
      Hopefuls
      Square
      Off
      in
      First
      Televised
      Debate
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      first
      televised
      debate
     
     
      between
      all
      three
      candidates
      vying
     
     
      for
      the
      leadership
      of
      the
      Conservative
     
     
      Party
      took
      place
      last
      week,
      and
      was
     
     
      made
      perhaps
      more
      significant
      by
     
     
      recent
      problems
      plaguing
      the
      Liberal
     
     
      Party.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      debate
      finally
      gave
     
     
      Canadians
      the
      chance
      to
      see
      all
      three
     
     
      candidates
      in
      action,
      as
      Belinda
     
     
      Stronach
      had
      refused
      to
      partake
      in
     
     
      earlier
      televised
      debates.
      With
      four
     
     
      weeks
      left
      before
      the
      vote,
      each
      can-
     
     
      didate
      is
      stepping
      up
      their
      campaign.
     
    

    
     
      Stephen
      Harper
      (44),
      graduat-
     
     
      ed
      from
      the
      University
      of
      Calgary
     
     
      with
      an
      MA
      in
      economics
      and
      was
      a
     
     
      founding
      member
      of
      the
      Reform
     
     
      Party.
      He
      has
      led
      the
      Canadian
     
     
      Alliance
      Party
      for
      the
      past
      18
      months
     
     
      and
      returned
      to
      the
      House
      of
     
     
      Commons
      in
      2002
      after
      a
      5
      year
     
    
   
   
    
     
      absence.
      More
      recently,
      Harper
     
     
      forged
      a
      merger
      with
      then
     
     
      Progressive
      Conservative
      leader
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Peter
      MacKay.
     
    

    
     
      Tony
      Clement
      (42),
      graduat-
     
     
      ed
      with
      a
      BA
      in
      political
      science
      and
     
     
      a
      law
      degree
      from
      the
      University
      of
     
     
      Toronto
      and
      was
      a
      member
      of
      the
     
     
      Ontario
      Legislative
      Assembly
      from
     
     
      1995
      until
      he
      lost
      his
      seat
      in
      last
      fall’s
     
     
      provincial
      election.
      He
      also
      failed
      to
     
     
      win
      the
      leadership
      of
      the
      Ontario
     
     
      Progressive
      Conservatives,
      but
      did
     
     
      achieve
      prominence
      among
      Ontarians
     
     
      as
      the
      Minister
      of
      Health
      during
      last
     
     
      year’s
      SARS
      outbreak.
      _
     
    

    
     
      Belinda
      Stronach
      (38),
      is
      the
     
     
      least
      politically
      experienced
      of
      the
     
     
      three,
      having
      never
      held
      elected
     
     
      office
      before
      opting
      to
      run
      for
      the
     
     
      leadership.
      She
      attended
      business
     
     
      school
      at
      York
      University,
      but
     
     
      dropped
      out
      after
      one
      year
      of
      studies.
     
     
      She
      went
      on
      to
      have
      a
      successful
     
     
      career
      in
      business,
      eventually
      becom-
     
     
      ing
      President
      and
      CEO
      of
      Magna
     
    
   
   
    
     
      International,
      a
      company
      her
      father
     
     
      founded.
      She
      also
      played
      a
      backroom
     
     
      role
      in
      doctoring
      the
      merger
      between
     
     
      the
      Alliance
      and
      PC
      Party.
     
    

    
     
      At
      the
      time
      of
      the
      debate
      last
     
     
      Sunday,
      Harper
      led
      the
      pack
      accord-
     
     
      ing
      to
      an
      Ipsos-Reid
      poll
      released
     
     
      February
      20th,
      holding
      46%
      of
      the
     
     
      party’s
      support.
      Stronach
      held
      26%
      of
     
     
      voter
      support,
      Clement
      17%
      and
      11%
     
     
      of
      possible
      voters
      remained
      undecid-
     
     
      ed
      as
      to
      who
      they
      wanted
      as
      leader.
     
    

    
     
      Harper’s
      support
      is
      based
     
     
      mainly
      in
      Western
      Canada,
      with
     
     
      about
      60%
      in
      each
      Western
      province.
     
     
      He
      is
      considered
      weak
      in
      Quebec,
     
     
      and
      especially
      in
      Atlantic
      Canada,
     
     
      where
      he
      made
      some
      controversial
     
     
      remarks
      regarding
      the
      economics
      in
     
     
      the
      region.
      The
      bulk
      of
      Clements
     
     
      support
      lies
      not
      surprisingly
      in
     
     
      Ontario,
      but
      he
      is
      still
      relatively
     
     
      unknown
      throughout
      the
      rest
      of
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      country.
      He
      also
      did
      not
      get
      a
      head
      .
     
    
   
   
    
     
      start,
      nor
      enjoys
      the
      deep
      pockets
      that
     
     
      the
      other
      two
      candidates
      may
      benefit
     
     
      from.
      Stronach
      holds
      44%
      of
      decided
     
     
      voters
      in
      Quebec,
      as
      well
      as
      34%
      in
     
     
      Atlantic
      Canada,
      but
      she
      also
      has
     
     
      raised
      eyebrows
      with
      her
      comments
     
    
   
   
    
     
      _tegarding
      the
      use
      of
      some
      form
      of
     
    
   
   
    
     
      user
      fees
      for
      the
      healthcare
      system.
     
     
      As
      one
      of
      the
      chief
      objectives
      of
      unit-
     
     
      ing
      the
      right
      was
      to
      create
      a
      truly
     
     
      national
      party,
      many
      Conservatives
     
     
      must
      be
      somewhat
      troubled
      to
      see
     
     
      how
      divisive
      the
      support
      for
      the
      can-
     
     
      didates
      is.
     
    

    
     
      For
      his
      part,
      Clement
      empha-
     
     
      sized
      the
      importance
      of
      being
      clear
     
     
      and
      decisive
      when
      it
      comes
      to
      serving
     
     
      all
      Canadians
      stating
      during
      the
     
     
      debate:
      "We’ve
      got
      to
      be
      clear
      on
     
     
      healthcare,
      we’ve
      got
      to
      be
      clear
      on
     
     
      supporting
      Canadians,
      when
      it
      comes
     
     
      to
      the
      military,
      we’ve
      got
      to
      be
      clear
     
     
      when
      it
      comes
      to
      jobs
      and
      opportuni-
     
     
      ty
     
    

    
     
      Harper
      outlined
      his
      experi-
     
     
      ence
      during
      the
      debate,
      dismissing
     
     
      Clement
      and
      Stronach’s
      notions
      that
      a
     
    
   
   
    
     
      new
      uniting
      face
      was
      needed
      for
      the
      —
     
    
   
   
    
     
      party.
      He
      insisted
      instead
      that
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      UPEI
      Cadre
      March
      2,
      2004
      page
      8
     
    
   
   
    
     
         
     
    
   
   
    
     
      general
      public
      would
      much
      rather
     
     
      replace
      the
      current
      government
      with
     
     
      someone
      who
      has
      a
      proven
      record.
     
     
      "(They
      want]
      the
      guy
      who
      built
      the
     
     
      party,
      the
      guy
      who
      was
      in
      there
      fight-
     
     
      ing."
     
    

    
     
      During
      the
      debate,
      Belinda
     
     
      Stronach
      downplayed
      her
      inexperi-
     
     
      ence,
      asking
      Canadians
      to
      look
      at
     
     
      what
      professional
      politicians
      had
     
     
      caused
      in
      Canada
      over
      the
      past
      ten
     
     
      years
      highlighting
      high
      taxes,
      a
      mas-
     
     
      sive
      debt,
      a
      depleted
      military,
      inade-
     
     
      quate
      healthcare
      and
      "the
      most
      seri-
     
     
      ous
      scandal
      to
      hit
      this
      country
      in
      its
     
     
      history."
      She
      told
      the
      party
      that
      they
     
     
      should
      all
      be
      asking
      themselves
      why
     
     
      the
      party
      is
      still
      ten
      points
      behind
      the
     
     
      Liberals
      in
      the
      polls.
      She
      was
      refer-
     
     
      ring
      to
      a
      public
      poll
      that
      revealed
      that
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Easy
      for
      ON
      days
     
     
      ...
      Essential
      for
      OF
     
    
   
   
    
     
      the
      Liberal
      Party
      had
      taken
      a
      consid-
     
     
      erable
      hit
      in
      wake
      of
      the
      sponsorship
     
     
      scandal,
      but
      had
      panned
      out
      at
      36%,
     
     
      with
      the
      Conservative
      Party
      at
      27%.
     
     
      Many
      speculate
      that
      recent
      events
     
     
      surrounding
      the
      scandal
      could
      delay
     
     
      an
      expected
      spring
      election,
      allowing
     
     
      more
      time
      for
      the
      new
      Conservative
     
     
      Party
      to
      organize.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      Conservative
      Party
     
     
      Leadership
      vote
      will
      take
      place
     
     
      March
      20th.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      a
      ails
      Stuff!
     
    
   
   
    
     
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