Charest’s Bid To Be Leader, Puts Poilievre’s Coronation On Hold

Charest stands the best chance of beating the Liberal administration in a general election

Jean Charest’s bid to be the leader of the Conservative Party just put Poilievre’s coronation on hold. Charest is a seasoned communicator with the experience and temperament required to be Prime Minister if he becomes the leader of the Conservatives.

In 1993, Charest was a heartbeat away from running the country and became one of five elected officials to serve as Canada’s Deputy Prime Minister and later went on to serve as the 29th Premier of Quebec from 2003 to 2012. Charest signals hope for a party that has failed in the last three elections to unseat the Trudeau administration. His personality is a 180 from Scheer, O’Toole and certainly Poilievre, who’s an acquired taste.

Charest is known as a bridge-builder that believes in a more inclusive Canada and is loved by Quebecers, but most importantly, he can win in Quebec if he leads the party into the next federal election. These are the intangibles needed of the next party leader, and in our opinion, Charest is the only one in the race right now that has them.

On Thursday, Charest will officially announce his bid to be the leader of the Conservatives and outline his vision for the party. His candidacy should be a breath of fresh air from the divisive rhetoric and, at times, gimmicky Poilievre.

The leadership election will take place on September 10, 2022, which means Canadians will have to endure months and months and months of negativity from Poilievre. The Carleton Member of Parliament wanted a short leadership race but the Conservative party denied the request.

Poilievre has already been trekking across the country drumming up support and endorsements while his surrogates attack Charest. Had Poilievre got the short leadership time he saught, it would have been a slight edge in his favour. Luckily that did not happen because should Poilievre become the leader of the Conservative Party, he has an unimaginable chance of beating Prime Minister Trudeau in an election. On the other hand, Charest has already been Deputy Prime Minister and makes a compelling reason why he could beat Prime Minister Trudeau in an election.

Charest knows to become the Prime Minister of Canada, he first must become the leader of the Conservative party. This “little” but important step in the process appears to have not been conveyed to Poilievre, as he is openly campaigning to be Prime Minister before securing the leadership.