The 2004 Conservative Party of Canada leadership election took place on March 20, 2004, in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
, Ontario, and resulted in the election of
Stephen Harper
Stephen Joseph Harper (born April 30, 1959) is a Canadian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Canada from 2006 to 2015. Harper is the first and only prime minister to come from the modern-day Conservative Party of Canada, ...
as the first leader of the new
Conservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada (french: Parti conservateur du Canada), colloquially known as the Tories, is a federal political party in Canada. It was formed in 2003 by the merger of the two main right-leaning parties, the Progressive Co ...
. The Conservative Party was formed by the merger of the
Canadian Alliance
The Canadian Alliance (french: Alliance canadienne), formally the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance (french: Alliance réformiste-conservatrice canadienne), was a centre-right to right-wing federal political party in Canada that existed ...
and the
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada (PC; french: Parti progressiste-conservateur du Canada) was a centre-right federal political party in Canada that existed from 1942 to 2003.
From Canadian Confederation in 1867 until 1942, the ...
, in December 2003.
Stephen Harper
Stephen Joseph Harper (born April 30, 1959) is a Canadian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Canada from 2006 to 2015. Harper is the first and only prime minister to come from the modern-day Conservative Party of Canada, ...
, the former leader of the Canadian Alliance, was elected on the first (and only) ballot.
Tony Clement
Tony Peter Clement (born January 27, 1961) is a Canadian former federal politician and former Member of Parliament for Parry Sound—Muskoka in Ontario. Before entering federal politics, Clement served as an Ontario cabinet minister, including ...
, a former
Ontario Progressive Conservative health minister, and
Belinda Stronach
Belinda Caroline Stronach (Born May 2, 1966) is a Canadian businesswoman, philanthropist and a former Member of Parliament (MP) in the House of Commons of Canada from 2004 to 2008. Originally elected as a Conservative, she later crossed the fl ...
, the former Chief Executive Officer of
Magna International, were the other candidates on the ballot.
The leader was selected by a system in which each of the party's
riding association
An electoral district association (french: association de circonscription enregistrée), commonly known as a riding association (french: association de comté) or constituency association, is the basic unit of a political party at the level of the ...
s was allocated 100 points, which were allocated among candidates in proportion to the votes that he or she received. This system was selected as a condition of the merger, to prevent the far larger Canadian Alliance membership base from overwhelming that of the Progressive Conservatives.
Members voted using
ranked ballots. If no candidate won a majority of votes in the first round, the ballots supporting the candidate with the smallest number of votes would be re-distributed according to the voters' second preferences. Subsequent rounds were not needed, however, because Stephen Harper won in the first round.
Candidates
Tony Clement
Tony Peter Clement (born January 27, 1961) is a Canadian former federal politician and former Member of Parliament for Parry Sound—Muskoka in Ontario. Before entering federal politics, Clement served as an Ontario cabinet minister, including ...
42,
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario (french: Parti progressiste-conservateur de l'Ontario), often shortened to the Ontario PC Party or simply the PCs, colloquially known as the Tories, is a centre-right political party in Ontario, Canada ...
Member of Provincial Parliament for
Brampton South
Brampton South (french: Brampton-Sud) is a federal electoral district in the Peel Region of Ontario.
Brampton South was created by the 2012 federal electoral boundaries redistribution and was legally defined in the 2013 representation order. ...
(1995–2003), provincial
Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (2001–2003), provincial Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing (1999–2001), provincial Minister of the Environment (1999–2000), provincial Minister of Transportation (1997–1999), third place candidate in
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario leadership election (2002)
Caucus Endorsements
*MPs: (5)
Gerald Keddy
Gerald Gordon Keddy (born February 15, 1953) is a Canadian politician. Keddy is a former Christmas tree grower, and offshore drill operator and was a Member of Parliament from 1997 to 2015, first sitting with the Progressive Conservative Party o ...
(
South Shore, NS),
Chuck Strahl (
Fraser Valley
The Fraser Valley is a geographical region in southwestern British Columbia, Canada and northwestern Washington State. It starts just west of Hope in a narrow valley encompassing the Fraser River and ends at the Pacific Ocean stretching from the ...
, BC),
Norman Doyle
Norman "Blicky" Doyle (born November 11, 1945) is a Canadian businessman and politician in Newfoundland and Labrador. He was a member of the Senate of Canada from 2012 to 2020 and a Member of the Canadian House of Commons from 1997 to 2008.
P ...
(
St. John's East, NL),
Art Hanger (
Calgary Northeast, AB),
Peter Goldring
Peter Goldring (born December 12, 1944) is a former Canadian federal politician.
Early life and career
Goldring was born in Toronto in 1944. He served in the Royal Canadian Air Force, from 1962 to 1965, as a military police officer.
After liv ...
(
Edmonton Centre-East, AB)
*Senators: (2)
Brenda Robertson (NB),
Wilbert Keon
Wilbert Joseph Keon (May 17, 1935 – April 7, 2019) was a Canadian physician. A heart surgeon and researcher by profession, Keon was a longtime Canadian senator.
Biography
Born in Sheenboro, Quebec, Keon received a Bachelor of Science from ...
(ON)
Stephen Harper
Stephen Joseph Harper (born April 30, 1959) is a Canadian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Canada from 2006 to 2015. Harper is the first and only prime minister to come from the modern-day Conservative Party of Canada, ...
44,
Reform Party of Canada
The Reform Party of Canada (french: Parti réformiste du Canada) was a right-wing populist and conservative federal political party in Canada that existed under that name from 1987 to 2000. Reform was founded as a Western Canada-based protest ...
MP for
Calgary West
Calgary West was a federal electoral district in Alberta, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1917 to 1953, and from 1979 to 2015. It was in the western part of the City of Calgary.
The electoral district was ...
(1993–1997), Canadian Alliance MP for
Calgary Southwest (2002–), Leader of the
Canadian Alliance
The Canadian Alliance (french: Alliance canadienne), formally the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance (french: Alliance réformiste-conservatrice canadienne), was a centre-right to right-wing federal political party in Canada that existed ...
(2002–2003), President of the
National Citizens Coalition
The National Citizens Coalition (NCC) is a Canadian conservative lobby group that was incorporated in 1975 by Colin M. Brown, a successful insurance agent who strongly opposed public health insurance—medicare. In response to what he perceive ...
(1998–2002)
Caucus Endorsements
*MPs: (50)
Jim Abbott (
Kootenay-Columbia, BC),
Diane Ablonczy
Diane Ablonczy (née Broadway; ; born May 6, 1949) is a former Canadians, Canadian Member of Parliament (Canada), Member of Parliament who served in the House of Commons of Canada. Ablonczy represented Calgary ridings from 1993 to 2015, sittin ...
(
Calgary Nose Hill, AB),
Rob Anders (
Calgary West
Calgary West was a federal electoral district in Alberta, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1917 to 1953, and from 1979 to 2015. It was in the western part of the City of Calgary.
The electoral district was ...
, AB),
David Anderson David Anderson may refer to:
People In academia or science
* David Anderson (academic) (born 1952), American college professor
* David Anderson (engineer) (1880–1953), Scottish civil engineer and lawyer
*David Anderson, 2nd Viscount Waverley (191 ...
(
Cypress Hills—Grasslands
Cypress Hills—Grasslands is a federal electoral district in Saskatchewan, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1997.
Geography
The district is in the southwestern corner of the Province of Saskatchewan.
...
, SK),
Roy Bailey (
Souris-Moose Mountain, SK),
Leon Benoit
Leon Earl Benoit (born July 7, 1950) is a Canadian politician.
Career
Benoit was a Conservative Party of Canada Member of Parliament in the House of Commons of Canada, representing the riding of Vegreville—Wainwright from 2004 to 2015, Lake ...
(
Lakeland, AB),
Garry Breitkreuz
Garry W. Breitkreuz (pronounced Bright-Krites) (born October 21, 1945) is a Canadian politician. He was the Conservative Party of Canada member of the House of Commons of Canada for Yorkton—Melville from 1993 to 2015. He was formerly a member ...
(
Yorkton-Melville, SK),
Andy Burton (
Skeena, BC),
Chuck Cadman (
Surrey North, BC),
Rick Casson
Richard L. Casson (born December 30, 1948 in Calgary, Alberta) is a Canadian politician. Casson was a member of the Conservative Party of Canada in the House of Commons of Canada, representing the riding of Lethbridge from 1997 to 2011.
Before ...
(
Lethbridge
Lethbridge ( ) is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada. With a population of 101,482 in its 2019 municipal census, Lethbridge became the fourth Alberta city to surpass 100,000 people. The nearby Canadian Rocky Mountains contribute to t ...
, AB),
Dave Chatters (
Athabasca, AB),
John Duncan (
Vancouver Island North
Vancouver Island North is a former federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1997 to 2015.
Geography
The district included the Regional Districts of Comox Valley, Strath ...
, BC),
Reed Elley (
Nanaimo-Cowichan, BC),
Ken Epp
Marvin Kenneth Epp (May 11, 1939 – February 20, 2022) was a Canadian politician.
Epp was a member of the Conservative Party of Canada in the House of Commons of Canada, representing the riding of Edmonton—Sherwood Park since its creation in ...
(
Elk Island, AB),
Brian Fitzpatrick (
Prince Albert, SK),
Paul Forseth (
New Westminster—Coquitlam—Burnaby
New Westminster—Coquitlam—Burnaby was a federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1997 to 2004.
Geography
This was an urban riding that contained the city of New Wes ...
, BC),
Jim Gouk (
Kootenay—Boundary—Okanagan, BC),
Gurmant Grewal
Gurmant Singh Grewal (born December 21, 1957) is an Indo-Canadian politician and former Conservative Member of Parliament. Gurmant and his wife, Nina Grewal, who represented Fleetwood—Port Kells from 2004 to 2015, were the first married co ...
(
Surrey Central, BC),
Dick Harris (
Prince George-Bulkley Valley
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. ...
, BC),
Jay Hill
Jay D. Hill (born December 27, 1952) is a Canadian politician who served as the Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) for the riding of Prince George—Peace River in British Columbia from 1993 to 2010. He served as Government House Leader ...
(
Prince George-Peace River, BC),
Betty Hinton
Betty Zane Hinton (born February 22, 1950) is a Canadian politician, previously representing the constituency of Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo in the federal parliament.
Born in Trail, British Columbia, Hinton has served as mayor of Logan Lak ...
(
Kamloops, Thompson and Highland Valleys, BC),
Rahim Jaffer (
Edmonton-Strathcona
Edmonton-Strathcona is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, Canada. It shares the same name as the federal electoral district of Edmonton Strathcona.
The boundaries of Edmonton-Strathcona include the neig ...
, AB),
Dale Johnston (
Wetaskiwin, AB),
Jason Kenney
Jason Thomas Kenney (born May 30, 1968) is a Canadian former politician who served as the 18th premier of Alberta from 2019 until 2022 and the leader of the United Conservative Party (UCP) from 2017 until 2022. He also served as the member of ...
(
Calgary Southeast
Calgary Southeast was a federal electoral district in Alberta, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1988 to 2015. The district was in the southeast part of the City of Calgary. It was bounded by the city limits to t ...
, AB),
Gary Lunn
Gary Vincent Lunn (born May 8, 1957) is a retired Canadian member of Parliament for the British Columbia riding of Saanich—Gulf Islands. He served in the House of Commons from 1997 to 2011, first as a member of the Reform Party of Canada an ...
(
Saanich-Gulf Islands, BC),
James Lunney (
Nanaimo-Alberni, BC),
Philip Mayfield (
Cariboo—Chilcotin
Cariboo—Chilcotin was a federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons from 1979 to 2003.
Geography
It consisted initially of:
* the Cariboo Regional District;
* the Squamish–Lilloo ...
, BC),
Grant McNally (
Dewdney-Alouette, BC),
Rob Merrifield (
Yellowhead, AB),
Bob Mills (
Red Deer
The red deer (''Cervus elaphus'') is one of the largest deer species. A male red deer is called a stag or hart, and a female is called a hind. The red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Anatolia, Iran, and parts of ...
, AB),
James Moore (
Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC),
Deepak Obhrai
Deepak Obhrai (July 5, 1950 – August 2, 2019) was a Tanzania-born Canadian politician, representing the riding of Calgary East (until 2015) and Forest Lawn (from 2015) for the Reform Party of Canada and then the Conservative Party of Canada ...
(
Calgary East, AB),
Brian Pallister
Brian William Pallister (born July 6, 1954) is a Canadian politician who served as the 22nd premier of Manitoba from 2016 until 2021. He served as leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba from 2012 to 2021. He was previously a cab ...
(
Portage-Lisgar, MB),
Charlie Penson (
Peace River
The Peace River (french: links=no, rivière de la Paix) is a river in Canada that originates in the Rocky Mountains of northern British Columbia and flows to the northeast through northern Alberta. The Peace River joins the Athabasca River in ...
, AB),
James Rajotte
James Rajotte (born August 19, 1970) is a Canadian politician who currently serves as Alberta's senior representative to the United States. He served as a Member of Parliament from 2004 to 2015.
As a member of the Conservative Party of Canada ...
(
Edmonton Southwest, AB),
Scott Reid (
Lanark-Carleton, ON),
John Reynolds (
West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast, BC),
Gerry Ritz
Gerry Ritz (born August 19, 1951) is a former Canadian politician. He served as member of the House of Commons of Canada for Battlefords—Lloydminster from 1997 until his resignation in 2017. He served as Canada's Agriculture minister from 20 ...
(
Battlefords-Lloydminster, SK),
Werner Schmidt
Werner Schmidt (born January 18, 1932) is a Canadian former politician, a teacher, and school principal.
Political career
Schmidt was vice-president of Lethbridge Community College when he was chosen to succeed Harry Strom as leader of the Alb ...
(
Kelowna
Kelowna ( ) is a city on Okanagan Lake in the Okanagan Valley in the southern interior of British Columbia, Canada. It serves as the head office of the Regional District of Central Okanagan. The name Kelowna derives from the Okanagan word ' ...
, BC),
Carol Skelton
Carol Skelton, (born December 12, 1945 in Biggar, Saskatchewan) is a Canadian politician. She is a member of the Security Intelligence Review Committee which oversees the operation of Canadian Security Intelligence Service. She formerly served ...
(
Saskatoon-Rosetown-Biggar, SK),
Monte Solberg (
Medicine Hat
Medicine Hat is a city in southeast Alberta, Canada. It is located along the South Saskatchewan River. It is approximately east of Lethbridge and southeast of Calgary. This city and the adjacent Town of Redcliff to the northwest are wit ...
, AB),
Kevin Sorenson
Kevin A. Sorenson (born November 3, 1958) is a Canadian politician who represented the riding of Battle River-Crowfoot (known as Crowfoot from 2000 to 2015) in the House of Commons of Canada from 2000 to 2019, first as a member of the Canadi ...
(
Crowfoot, AB),
Darrel Stinson
Darrel Stinson (born June 5, 1945) is a retired politician and businessman in British Columbia, Canada. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Okanagan—Shuswap from 1993 until the dissolution of the House of Commons of Canada for the 2006 ...
(
Okanagan-Shuswap, BC),
Greg Thompson
Gregory Francis Thompson, (March 28, 1947 – September 10, 2019) was a Canadian politician who served six terms as a Member of Parliament (MP), and for one term he represented the district of Saint Croix in the New Brunswick Legislative Asse ...
(
New Brunswick Southwest, NB),
Myron Thompson
Myron D. Thompson (April 23, 1936 – January 5, 2019) was a Conservative Member of Parliament in the House of Commons of Canada. He represented the riding of Wild Rose in Alberta.
Early life and education
A dual citizen of Canada and the Un ...
(
Wild Rose, AB),
Vic Toews
Victor Toews (; born September 10, 1952) is a Paraguayan-Canadian politician and jurist. Toews is a judge of the Court of King's Bench of Manitoba. He represented Provencher in the House of Commons of Canada from 2000 until his resignation on ...
(
Provencher
Provencher is a federal electoral district in Manitoba, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1871. It is a largely rural district in the province's southeast corner. Its largest community is the city of St ...
, MB),
Maurice Vellacott (
Saskatoon-Wanuskewin, SK),
Randy White (
Langley-Abbotsford, BC),
John Williams
John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (15 November 2022)Classic Connection review '' WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who w ...
(
St. Albert, AB),
Lynne Yelich (
Blackstrap, SK)
*Senators: (2)
Gerry St. Germain (BC),
David Tkachuk
David Tkachuk (born February 18, 1945) is a Canadian teacher, executive and politician. Tkachuk was a member of the Senate of Canada, representing Saskatchewan from 1993 to 2020.
Life and career
David Tkachuk was born on February 18, 1945, to G ...
(SK)
Belinda Stronach
Belinda Caroline Stronach (Born May 2, 1966) is a Canadian businesswoman, philanthropist and a former Member of Parliament (MP) in the House of Commons of Canada from 2004 to 2008. Originally elected as a Conservative, she later crossed the fl ...
37, CEO of
Magna International (2001–)
Caucus Endorsements
*MPs: (7)
Gary Schellenberger (
Perth-Middlesex, ON),
Bill Casey
William D. Casey (born February 19, 1945) is a Canadian politician from Nova Scotia who served as a Member of Parliament (MP) in the House of Commons of Canada. First elected as a Progressive Conservative in 1988, he later sat as Conservative ...
(
Cumberland-Colchester, NS),
John Cummins (
Delta-South Richmond, BC),
Val Meredith (
South Surrey-White Rock-Langley, BC),
Loyola Hearn (
St. John's West
St. John's West was a federal electoral district (Canada), electoral district in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1949 to 2004.
This riding was created in 1949 when Newfoundland join ...
, NL),
Rex Barnes (
Gander—Grand Falls
Gander—Grand Falls was a federal electoral district in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1988 to 2004.
This riding was created in 1987 from parts of Gander—Twillingate and Grand F ...
, NL),
Inky Mark
Inky Mark (; born November 17, 1947) is a Canadian politician and a former member of the House of Commons of Canada, representing the Manitoba riding of Dauphin—Swan River—Marquette. Mark was a member of the Conservative Party of Canada, ...
(
Dauphin-Swan River, MB)
*Senators: (13)
David Angus (QC),
Ethel Cochrane (NF),
Consiglio Di Nino (ON),
John Trevor Eyton (ON),
J. Michael Forrestall (NS),
Noël Kinsella
Noël Augustus Kinsella, (born November 28, 1939) is a Canadian politician and was Speaker of the Senate of Canada from 2006 to 2014.
Education
Kinsella was born in Saint John, New Brunswick. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Univ ...
(NB),
Pierre Claude Nolin
Pierre Claude Nolin (October 30, 1950 – April 23, 2015) was a Canadian politician and Senator. A prominent member of Conservative Party of Canada from 2004 till his death, he became an influential strongman in the Party's parliamentary caucus.
...
(QC),
John Buchanan (NS),
Gerald Comeau (NS),
Donald Oliver
Donald H. Oliver (born November 16, 1938) is a Canadian lawyer, developer and politician. Appointed by
former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, Oliver served in the Senate of Canada from 1990 until 2013. He was the first black male to sit in the ...
(NS),
Marjory LeBreton
Marjory LeBreton (born July 4, 1940) is a Canadian former leader of the Government in the Senate of Canada, a cabinet-rank position; and past national chair of Mothers Against Drunk Driving in Canada. She worked with four leaders of the Progres ...
(ON),
Pat Carney (BC),
Leonard Gustafson (SK)
Announced they would not run
*
Scott Brison
Scott A. Brison (born May 10, 1967) is a Canadian former politician from Nova Scotia. Brison served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for the riding of Kings-Hants from the 1997 federal election until July 2000, then from November 2000 to Febru ...
-
Progressive Conservative Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...
(later defected to the
Liberals)
*
Mike Harris
Michael Deane Harris (born January 23, 1945) is a Canadian retired politician who served as the 22nd premier of Ontario from 1995 to 2002 and leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario (PC Party) from 1990 to 2002. During his time ...
- former
Premier
Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier.
A premier will normally be a head of governm ...
of
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
*
Ralph Klein
Ralph Philip Klein (November 1, 1942 – March 29, 2013) was a Canadian politician and journalist who served as the 12th premier of Alberta and leader of the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta from 1992 until his retirement in 20 ...
- Premier of
Alberta
Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest T ...
*
Bernard Lord
Bernard Lord (born September 27, 1965) is a Canadian lawyer, business executive and former politician. He served as the 30th premier of New Brunswick from 1999 to 2006. Lord was appointed as board chair of Ontario Power Generation in 2014.
Early ...
- Premier of
New Brunswick
New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...
*
Peter MacKay
Peter Gordon MacKay (born September 27, 1965) is a Canadian lawyer and politician. He was a Member of Parliament from 1997 to 2015 and has served as Minister of Justice and Attorney General (2013–2015), Minister of National Defence (2007� ...
- former
Progressive Conservative Party Leader
*
Brian Pallister
Brian William Pallister (born July 6, 1954) is a Canadian politician who served as the 22nd premier of Manitoba from 2016 until 2021. He served as leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba from 2012 to 2021. He was previously a cab ...
-
Canadian Alliance
The Canadian Alliance (french: Alliance canadienne), formally the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance (french: Alliance réformiste-conservatrice canadienne), was a centre-right to right-wing federal political party in Canada that existed ...
Member of Parliament
*
Jim Prentice
Peter Eric James Prentice (July 20, 1956 – October 13, 2016) was a Canadian politician who served as the 16th premier of Alberta from 2014 to 2015. In the 2004 federal election he was elected to the House of Commons of Canada as a candida ...
-
Progressive Conservative 2003 leadership race runner up, later Premier of Alberta
*
Bob Runciman
Robert William "Bob" Runciman (born August 10, 1942) is a veteran Canadian politician and former provincial Leader of the Opposition in the Ontario Legislature. First elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in 1981, he held the seat con ...
- former
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
public security minister
*
Larry Smith - Publisher of the ''
Montreal Gazette
The ''Montreal Gazette'', formerly titled ''The Gazette'', is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Three other daily English-language newspapers shuttered at various times during the second half of t ...
''
*
Chuck Strahl -
Canadian Alliance
The Canadian Alliance (french: Alliance canadienne), formally the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance (french: Alliance réformiste-conservatrice canadienne), was a centre-right to right-wing federal political party in Canada that existed ...
Member of Parliament
Results
''Points needed to win: 15,401''
Each of 308
ridings had 100 points which were distributed by
proportional representation
Proportional representation (PR) refers to a type of electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The concept applies mainly to geographical (e.g. states, regions) and political divis ...
according to votes cast by party members in the riding.
The actual vote totals remained confidential when the leadership election results were announced; only the point totals were made public at the time, giving the impression of a race that was much closer than was actually the case. Three years later, Harper's former campaign manager,
Tom Flanagan, published the actual vote totals, noting that, among other distortions caused by the equal-weighting system, "a vote cast in Quebec was worth 19.6 times as much as a vote cast in Alberta".
Total expenses
*
Belinda Stronach
Belinda Caroline Stronach (Born May 2, 1966) is a Canadian businesswoman, philanthropist and a former Member of Parliament (MP) in the House of Commons of Canada from 2004 to 2008. Originally elected as a Conservative, she later crossed the fl ...
$2,496,482
*
Stephen Harper
Stephen Joseph Harper (born April 30, 1959) is a Canadian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Canada from 2006 to 2015. Harper is the first and only prime minister to come from the modern-day Conservative Party of Canada, ...
$2,073,084
*
Tony Clement
Tony Peter Clement (born January 27, 1961) is a Canadian former federal politician and former Member of Parliament for Parry Sound—Muskoka in Ontario. Before entering federal politics, Clement served as an Ontario cabinet minister, including ...
$826,807
Timeline
December 2003
*December 5 - The Canadian Alliance votes with a 96% majority in favour of merging with the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada.
*December 6 - The Progressive Conservative Party votes, with 90% of delegates in favour of merging with the
Canadian Alliance
The Canadian Alliance (french: Alliance canadienne), formally the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance (french: Alliance réformiste-conservatrice canadienne), was a centre-right to right-wing federal political party in Canada that existed ...
.
*December 8 - The Conservative Party of Canada is officially registered with
Elections Canada
Elections Canada (french: Élections Canada)The agency operates and brands itself as Elections Canada, its legal title is Office of the Chief Electoral Officer (). is the non-partisan agency responsible for administering Canadian federal electio ...
. The party's first
interim leader is
Senator
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
John Lynch-Staunton
John George Lynch-Staunton (June 19, 1930 – August 17, 2012) was a Canadian senator, who served as interim leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, from December 2003 to March 2004. He represented the Senate division of Grandville, Quebe ...
, with a formal leadership race scheduled for March 2004.
*December 10 -
Scott Brison
Scott A. Brison (born May 10, 1967) is a Canadian former politician from Nova Scotia. Brison served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for the riding of Kings-Hants from the 1997 federal election until July 2000, then from November 2000 to Febru ...
, Progressive Conservative MP, crosses the floor, and sits with the
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada (french: Parti libéral du Canada, region=CA) is a federal political party in Canada. The party espouses the principles of liberalism,McCall, Christina; Stephen Clarkson"Liberal Party". ''The Canadian Encyclopedia' ...
. Brison is the fourth PC MP, out of an original caucus of 15, to decide not to sit with the new
Conservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada (french: Parti conservateur du Canada), colloquially known as the Tories, is a federal political party in Canada. It was formed in 2003 by the merger of the two main right-leaning parties, the Progressive Co ...
.
*December 30 -
Bernard Lord
Bernard Lord (born September 27, 1965) is a Canadian lawyer, business executive and former politician. He served as the 30th premier of New Brunswick from 1999 to 2006. Lord was appointed as board chair of Ontario Power Generation in 2014.
Early ...
,
Premier
Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier.
A premier will normally be a head of governm ...
of
New Brunswick
New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...
, reconfirms that he will not seek the leadership of the Conservative Party. He had been considered a potential frontrunner.
January 2004
*January 12 -
Stephen Harper
Stephen Joseph Harper (born April 30, 1959) is a Canadian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Canada from 2006 to 2015. Harper is the first and only prime minister to come from the modern-day Conservative Party of Canada, ...
announces his entry into the race to lead the new
Conservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada (french: Parti conservateur du Canada), colloquially known as the Tories, is a federal political party in Canada. It was formed in 2003 by the merger of the two main right-leaning parties, the Progressive Co ...
. Earlier that day,
Jim Prentice
Peter Eric James Prentice (July 20, 1956 – October 13, 2016) was a Canadian politician who served as the 16th premier of Alberta from 2014 to 2015. In the 2004 federal election he was elected to the House of Commons of Canada as a candida ...
drops out of the leadership contest, citing a lack of funds.
*January 13 -
Peter MacKay
Peter Gordon MacKay (born September 27, 1965) is a Canadian lawyer and politician. He was a Member of Parliament from 1997 to 2015 and has served as Minister of Justice and Attorney General (2013–2015), Minister of National Defence (2007� ...
declares he will not enter the race to lead the new
Conservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada (french: Parti conservateur du Canada), colloquially known as the Tories, is a federal political party in Canada. It was formed in 2003 by the merger of the two main right-leaning parties, the Progressive Co ...
.
*January 15 - Auto parts magnate
Belinda Stronach
Belinda Caroline Stronach (Born May 2, 1966) is a Canadian businesswoman, philanthropist and a former Member of Parliament (MP) in the House of Commons of Canada from 2004 to 2008. Originally elected as a Conservative, she later crossed the fl ...
and former
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
Health Minister
Tony Clement
Tony Peter Clement (born January 27, 1961) is a Canadian former federal politician and former Member of Parliament for Parry Sound—Muskoka in Ontario. Before entering federal politics, Clement served as an Ontario cabinet minister, including ...
both announce their intention to run for leadership of the
Conservative Party
The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right.
Political parties called The Conservative P ...
.
*January 16 - Fraser Valley MP
Chuck Strahl announces he will not seek the Conservative leadership, citing financial barriers.
*January 20 -
Belinda Stronach
Belinda Caroline Stronach (Born May 2, 1966) is a Canadian businesswoman, philanthropist and a former Member of Parliament (MP) in the House of Commons of Canada from 2004 to 2008. Originally elected as a Conservative, she later crossed the fl ...
formally announces the launch of her campaign to seek the Conservative leadership. She rounds out the field at three; no other serious contenders are now seen as planning an entry.
"Stronach jumps into Conservative leadership race"
CBC News
CBC News is a division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the news gathering and production of news programs on the corporation's English-language operations, namely CBC Television, CBC Radio, CBC News Network, and CBC.ca ...
, January 20, 2004.
March 2004
*March 19 - The leadership convention {{Politics of Canada
In Canadian politics, a leadership convention is held by a political party when the party needs to choose a leader due to a vacancy or a challenge to the incumbent leader.
Overview
In Canada, leaders of a party generally rem ...
opens in Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
; the candidates give opening speeches.
*March 20 - Stephen Harper wins on the first ballot with 56% of points, under the party's weighted voting system.
*March 22 - Harper names former PC leader Peter MacKay
Peter Gordon MacKay (born September 27, 1965) is a Canadian lawyer and politician. He was a Member of Parliament from 1997 to 2015 and has served as Minister of Justice and Attorney General (2013–2015), Minister of National Defence (2007� ...
the deputy leader of the Conservative party.
Breakdown by province
Breakdown by riding
Newfoundland and Labrador
Prince Edward Island
Nova Scotia
New Brunswick
Quebec
Ontario
Manitoba
Saskatchewan
Alberta
British Columbia
Yukon
Northwest Territories
Nunavut
See also
* Canadian Alliance leadership elections
* Progressive Conservative leadership conventions
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Conservative Party Of Canada Leadership Election, 2004
2004 elections in Canada
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight ...
Conservative Party of Canada leadership election