Jean Charest

Politics Insider for Mar. 11: The Charest factor; a look at what drives Poilievre; and a plan for Zelenskyy to address Parliament.

Instead, the Poilievre who is available to us is the one who snarls ceaselessly about Justinflation, lobs bombs just to bask in the glow of the blast and throws in his lot with protesters terrorizing ordinary citizens because—well, frankly, it’s hard to fathom why. To have to say we can do so many things to support, but the risk of escalation, the risk of spreading… He didn’t have to be the internet troll of Canadian politics, because he had ample other capabilities at his disposal, but here we are.” Big speech: Volodymyr Zelenskyy is to virtually address Canada’s Parliament on Tuesday, CTV reports, a week after speaking to the British parliament. Given a choice between a candidate whose policies I prefer, but who lacked the requisite qualities of leadership, and a candidate deficient in policy but well supplied in character and judgment, I would unhesitatingly choose the latter. Uphill climb: In Maclean’s, Philippe J. Fournier calculates it will be a nearly impossible task for Charest to sign up enough members to get the support he’ll need to win. Charest talked about the importance of the oil and gas industry and his willingness to stand up for pipelines in areas of the country where support for them is more tepid, such as his own. That is the choice that matters in this race: not between right and left, or Blue Tories versus Red, but between adolescence and adulthood. I included Charest’s opposition to the law in my column about a secret arrangement Charest and Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown have struck, and it hit a nerve in Quebec, making headlines and leaving some Conservatives stunned. A great deal of time and energy will be spent in the coming campaign seeking to persuade Conservative voters of the vast ideological differences that supposedly separate the leading candidates. They can’t bring themselves to vote for a Liberal party whose leader has no regard for fiscal responsibility and whose record in office is fraught with ethical breaches. Welcome to a sneak peek of the Maclean’s Politics Insider newsletter.

Jean Charest picks a careful path on many issues, but is he ready for the rough contrasts of a meme campaign?

Mr. Charest did say he believes Canada can expand oil and gas and also transition to net zero, and that will include some form of carbon pricing. The newer type of meme-driven social-media campaigns will be one challenge for Mr. Charest. But not only that. He said he would talk about that later in the campaign. His main pitch is that he would expand the Conservative reach to all parts of the country. There will be Alberta Conservatives who appreciate that a Quebec candidate is talking up oil and gas and launching his campaign in Calgary. Mr. Poilievre can express his policy in only four words: scrap the carbon tax. It is true that the Conservative Party has considered itself the party of law and order. Mr. Charest said that the convoys expressed the frustration “and in some cases anger” that politicians must acknowledge. Erin O’Toole won the past leadership race with that kind of campaign. And Mr. Poilievre rode the convoy protest sentiment into the leadership race. But he isn’t doing it with that populist edge. There were Conservative MPs – and Ontario’s Tory Premier, Doug Ford – who criticized the trucker convoys for breaking the law.

Jean Charest, the former Quebec premier and federal cabinet minister, has formally announced he's running for leader of the Conservative Party of Canada.

"As I look at the party today, the party is fractured. Conservative MP Leslyn Lewis announced Tuesday that she's taking her second run at the leadership. His work at the law firm, McCarthy Tetrault included providing strategic advice to companies to help them lobby governments. Charest criticized the federal Liberal government for disrespecting provincial jurisdiction and reiterated his general support for pipelines. He was premier of Quebec from 2003 until 2012, elected under the province's Liberal party. Charest launched his bid — which has been anticipated for some time — at a brewery in Calgary Thursday night.

From 1993 to 1998 he led the federal Progressive Conservative party before returning to Quebec to lead the provincial Liberal party. He was Quebec premier from ...

From 1993 to 1998 he led the federal Progressive Conservative party before returning to Quebec to lead the provincial Liberal party. He is considered a passionate speaker and he won three straight elections in Quebec, where he ushered in a cap-and-trade system. That investigation was recently put to an end and Charest, who has never been charged, has long maintained his innocence.

Winning is something Conservatives want to see after three back-to-back losses to Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whose minority of seats in the House of ...

By launching in Calgary, Charest also hopes to bring a message of national unity and signal support to party members who are concerned about Western alienation. He is to make the formal announcement at a Calgary brewery Thursday evening. Jean Charest is a conservative leader who is built to win.” We need a leader who understands that winning a national government is built through consensus and unity, not through division and alienation. Let’s be proud to be united. “Let’s be proud to be ambitious.

Former Quebec premier Jean Charest appeared in Calgary to formally launch his campaign for the Conservative Party of Canada leadership.

By launching in Calgary, Charest also hopes to bring a message of national unity and signal support to party members who are concerned about Western alienation. Jean Charest is a conservative leader who is built to win.” Some Conservatives want the party to sharpen its stance against the legislation. We need a leader who understands that winning a national government is built through consensus and unity, not through division and alienation. Let’s be proud to be united. “Let’s be proud to be ambitious.