Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
OTTAWA — The Conservatives have taken their first steps towards a leadership race with the creation of a committee that will set the rules of the upcoming contest.
That committee will be able to work on its own and won’t have to report to any corner of the party, including the national council, until they have set the rules of the leadership race to replace Stephen Harper.
Three senior party executives were named to the committee Tuesday night and will be joined by Tories from within and beyond the national council, taking into account regional representation, gender and minorities, The Canadian Press has learned.
Committee members will have to pledge that they won’t support any one candidate in the race.
In the meantime, the party’s constitution says that the parliamentary caucus, which includes the House of Commons and Senate, will decide who should be the party’s interim leader until Harper’s replacement is found.
There are at least two top contenders for interim leader: former cabinet ministers Diane Finley and Rob Nicholson, both from Ontario.
