Who Will Lead the Tories into the 2015 Election?

If there was just one thing that Tories learned from Monday's by-elections it was that they're up against a resurgent Liberal challenge with Justin Trudeau at the helm.  They probably didn't need the by-elections to tell them that, by contrast, their own leader is becoming increasingly unpopular if not outright toxic to Tory fortunes.

Stephen Harper has said he intends to lead the Conservatives into the 2015 election but that decision might not be his to take any longer.

The party establishment isn't going to want a wounded leader going up against a popular, energized Liberal contender.  There are rumours of two, possibly three, latter day Dalton Camps already operating in the wings.

At this stage it's hard to imagine too many Tories willing to risk all by rallying to the side of Stephen Harper.  He's just not the sort of guy who makes a lot of friends.   He doesn't earn loyalty.  If anything he's a nasty little shit.

What happens next depends on whether Harper has not only taken himself down but has taken down the Reform wing with him.   The conditions might be ripe for a PC reformation.

There's not a lot of depth from the Tory front bench to answer the call for a new leader.  MacKay might have aspirations but he's something of a spent force and then there's the little matter of how he sold out the PCs.   Jason Kenney?  Possibly, but I think he has a "no wife, no babies" problem with the social conservative base.  He's also a westerner.  And, besides, Kenney- MacKay et al have  all logged years of  loyal service to the Grand Corrupter, the Prince of Darkness, Beelzebub himself.   With an election less than two years away and a party in need of rehab, Tories might well be looking for a new, fresh face.

Did I mention Jim Prentice?  No?  Well he's said to be weighing his options.  Although he's a Calgarian, he has lengthy Progressive Conservative credentials.   He was generally seen as moderate (at least compared to some of his colleagues), sophisticated (not a faith-based mouth breather) and he's been out of Harper's cabal long enough for the taint to wash off.

There's another name that's surfaced on the rumour circuit.   Now brace yourself.   How 'bout Jean Charest?   Some Tories think Charest could be a viable contender in a race to replace Stephen Harper.  Charest stepped in before when the party was in extremis.  He's affable, fairly well known and liked across Canada, and he's from Quebec.   Those are attributes the Tories could use in a leader right now.

Who knows, maybe Harper will find some way to hang on.   Maybe the Tories will answer the Liberals' prayers and go into the 2015 election behind this prime minister.

Maybe Rahim Jaffer's Still Available - Prentice Resigns

The median IQ of the Harper cabinet took a beating today with the announcement that EnviroMin Jim Prentice has cinched a top spot at Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce.  Of course the environment portfolio in a Harper administration is about as close as one can get to being a minister without portfolio.  I'm guessing that Prentice just got tired of filling his days folding paper airplanes.

So there'll be a by-election in Alberta.   Wonder what that Jaffer guy's doing?

Canada's Copenhagen Clown Car

Harper EnviroFraud Jim Prentice is a scream. He'll decide how not to do his job and says everybody else should fall in line with his rank dereliction of duty.

Literally bursting with glee at the nonexistant Copenhagen Accord the EnviroScammer paused to take a swipe at provincial leaders who he claimed were "working against their own country" by dissing the feds at the climate summit.

“I think when we are on the international stage, Canadians need to bear in mind that we are there as a country, speaking as a country.”

Excuse me? Say that again? You and Harper were there and that makes you Canada, speaking for Canadians? That's simply not true. You and your boss are deviants. The Canadian people have said time and again they want action on climate change. You and Harp deviate from what Canadians want, from their clearly stated view and that makes you deviants. Don't bitch at Jean Charest. He's not a deviant, you are. Just because you're trying your hardest to dodge your job, don't complain if Charest doesn't follow suit.

Good for Charest because, unlike you two deviants, he's standing up for Quebec and for Canada. Best of all, the Quebec premier is standing up to you. This is how he put it, "In Copenhagen, the federal government has the power to sign treaties, but it doesn't have the power to bind provincial governments to them."

Besides Jimbo, it's not like you've got a signed treaty. You didn't even come back from Copenhagen with anything you could sign. You came back with precisely what you were hoping to get - nothing.