Nova Scoita's management aspirants conclude "a long and lively campaign" | Local | New

Five candidates. Six debates.

Ten months of election campaign to seduce 11,600 party members.

Finally, Saturday, the number that counts. Provincial Progressive Conservatives will elect their number 1, their new leader, at the Halifax Exhibition Center.

"Did it take too much time? When Jamie Baillie announced his resignation on November 1, almost a year ago, the leadership selection committee was put in place, "said party president Tara Miller.

"For the first two months, we consulted our members on what they wanted to see, what kind of convention they wanted, wanted a delegate convention, wanted a member, a vote, and the reaction was that autumn be a good time. That's where we landed for a variety of reasons. Sometimes it's about logistics, finding the appropriate space, avoiding other key dates. "

Miller said the last leg of the leadership race had had members all over the world looking forward to having a new leader and moving on to the next phase of the party.

"The time we have had certainly allowed each of these candidates to travel to the province, to raise the profile of the party and to meet so many Nova Scotians, and I think that is reflected in the numbers we have as as members. and the commitment we have, which is truly remarkable in this period of political disengagement. Was it too long? I think that finally, it was just the right moment. It's like Christmas or the holidays. It takes a year to prepare. And when that happens, you're tired and you can not wait until December 25, but it's very exciting. "

Christmas will arrive early Saturday for the PCs, ending a winter of discontent that began in January when Baillie was forced to terminate his seven-year reign prematurely after investigating allegations of inappropriate behavior.

In the wake of Baillie, five candidates expressed intermittently their intention to continue the direction. Julie Chaisson, Cecil Clarke, Tim Houston, John Lohr and Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin will be on the ballot Saturday. Three members are in office, Clarke is Mayor of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality and former MP and Conservative Minister. In the 2017 election, Chaisson was third in the Chester-St. Margarets on horseback.

"It's been a long and busy campaign," said Miller. "We had five very talented and knowledgeable leadership candidates presenting their vision of Nova Scotia's future. There has been a lot of debate and a lot of agreement, but it's the healthiest part of the process. I am confident that Sunday morning we will welcome our new leader and we will focus on the ultimate goal that is the government. … Once we have our leader, there will still be a lot of work to do on October 28th. "

This leader will lead a party that is in good financial health and has seen its members swell.

"We started in January with 2,500 registered PC Party of Nova Scotia members," said Miller. "This increase in membership is a result of the leadership campaign and collective efforts of all of these leadership contestants and their teams to travel across the province and share their visions and ideas for the future of the province. Nova Scotia, which affected Nova Scotians. who decided: "I will become a member in order to have a meaningful voice in the choice of the next leader and most likely the next prime minister.""

With a membership fee of $ 10, the ranks have grown to 11,600 new and loyal followers of the party, said Miller. Anyone who became a member before 9/11 can vote on Saturday. Each member received a postal ballot and an invitation to attend the convention.

By mid-week, 750 members had already signed up for the convention, but Miller is expecting a high number of enrollees. There has been an increase in the number of postal ballots and the party has extended its deadline given the postal union's rotating strike that affected the Halifax mail on Monday.

Miller explained that the vote was not a congress-by-delegation, in which county badociations elect delegates to vote at the congress. Instead, it is a one-member system, a vote with a twist. The 51 provincial ridings will have equal weight, each worth 100 points in the final count. With a total of 5,100 points to win, the winning candidate will have to collect 2,551 points.

The votes will come from the congress and the postal ballots, which are preferential, with ballots. If no candidate reaches 2,551 points in the first vote, this should be calculated at 1 pm On Saturday, the person with the fewest points will be torn from the ballot and a second vote will take place. This will continue until a candidate gets more than half of the points available.

Registrations took place on Friday afternoon and continued Saturday morning at the exhibition grounds. The candidates each had about half an hour to speak on Friday night. On Saturday, federal Conservative Prime Minister Andrew Sheer will address MPs at noon.

RELATED: