Jean Charest enters the race for the leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada

Jean Charest

Former Liberal Premier of Quebec Jean Charest officially launched in the race for the leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC). He will thus attempt to make a return to federal politics.

If rumors about his candidacy had been circulating for several weeks already, Jean Charest officially announced it on his Twitter account on Thursday morning.

“Let us be proud of our ambitions. Let's be proud of our unity. Let us be proud to be conservatives. Join the movement that is #BuildToWin. https://jeancharest.ca #polcan”, he wrote.

To make the announcement in person, it was Thursday morning in Calgary, in the province of Alberta, which is considered the stronghold of the CCP.

Before entering provincial politics, Jean Charest worked in the federal arena from 1984 to 1998. He led the Progressive Conservative Party in Ottawa from 1993 to 1998.

< p>His candidacy won the support of political columnist Tasha Kheiriddin, who herself has given up on the idea of ​​running for the party leadership.

Poilievre in the lead

So far, only one other candidate is officially running to succeed Erin O’Toole. This is the Conservative Pierre Poilievre, member of the House of Commons for the Ontario riding of Carleton since 2015. He previously represented Nepean—Carleton from 2004 to 2015.

A new Léger poll published in the Journal de Montréal puts Mr. Poilievre far ahead of Mr. Charest. Indeed, 41% of Conservative voters line up behind the member for Carleton, against 10% for the former Liberal premier of Quebec.

Recall that, last month, former Conservative leader Erin O’Toole was shown the door by a majority of Conservative caucus MPs. Under its rules, candidates have until April 19 to confirm their intention to run for leadership. The next leader will then be chosen on September 10.