Nova Scotia Progressive Conservatives hold convention to select new party leader

The leadership race started when Baillie announced he would step down as leader last November, then resigned in January amid unspecified allegations of inappropriate behaviour. (File Photo: @JamieBaillie/Twitter)

HALIFAX — The five candidates vying to become the next leader of Nova Scotia’s Progressive Conservatives gave their final pitches to hundreds of delegates gathered at the party’s leadership convention in Halifax on Friday.

Tory caucus member Tim Houston, John Lohr and Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin, Cape Breton Regional Municipality Mayor Cecil Clarke and Julie Chaisson, executive director of the Halifax Seaport Market, are vying to succeed former leader Jamie Baillie.

The leadership race started when Baillie announced he would step down as leader last November, then resigned in January amid unspecified allegations of inappropriate behaviour.

All five leadership hopefuls have spent months travelling the province to sign up party members, a process that saw more than 11,600 people purchase memberships.

Party officials said more than 75 per cent of the people who joined the party had already participated in advance voting.

First on stage Friday was Houston, the party’s finance critic and the perceived front-runner in the race, who was often the target of the other candidates during a series of six spirited debates during the campaign.

“We are more united than divided,” said Houston, who took pains to extend olive branches to the other candidates and to possible undecided delegates.

“We need a leader who can grow the party,” he said. “We need a leader who can inspire your friends and neighbours to vote for us … folks, I am that leader.”

Houston said the party has to present a “vision for change” to voters when it comes to issues like fixing the province’s overburdened health-care system and struggling economy.

“Change is coming,” he said.

Heading into Saturday’s vote it’s believed Clarke, a former cabinet minister under Tory premiers John Hamm and Rodney MacDonald, has the best chance of biting into Houston’s delegate lead.

Clarke has campaigned as an experienced hand and the candidate best equipped to take over as premier — points he highlighted again during a rousing speech Friday night.

“In this race I don’t believe I’m better than any other candidate, but I do believe I’m more ready than any other candidate,” Clarke said. “I am ready to lead.”

He said everything he has done in his life as a politician has prepared him for “this moment,” but he added, “it’s not my moment — it’s Nova Scotia’s moment.

“Today Nova Scotians are again turning to the Progressive Conservatives. They are turning to Progressive Conservatives to deliver an economy that works for everyone, not just a few at the top.”

Lohr and Smith-McCrossin are considered the closest contenders to Houston and Clarke. During the campaign they pledged second-choice support to each other and were clear that their supporters should follow their lead.

Lohr has gained attention by claiming ground as an unabashed conservative on social issues, and by professing his support for oil and gas exploration using hydraulic fracturing. He has also pledged to eliminate any carbon tax brought in by the Liberals.

Lohr again staked his claim before the delegates.

“I have been clear on my plan, I will transform our economy — I will bring prosperity back to Nova Scotia,” he said.

“For too long we have tried to be like the Liberals. When Nova Scotians vote for the next premier, they don’t want a Liberal in sheep’s clothing — they want change. I am that proud conservative.”

Smith-McCrossin, a former nurse and small-business owner, championed private sector job growth on the campaign trail.

She told delegates she would provide the best contrast as leader when compared to Liberal Premier Stephen NcNeil and NDP Leader Gary Burrill.

“I want you to picture the contrast, the difference in energy and the difference in ideas. Think of the clear choice that we will offer Nova Scotians.”

During her speech, Chaisson, who is the clear long shot in the race, positioned herself as a party outsider and a voice for change.

“This campaign has allowed me to set aside my fears,” said Chaisson. “We need a leader who focuses less on problems and more on possibilities … we need less politics and more practical solutions.”

Party members will select a new leader on Saturday through a vote that will use ranked ballots and weighted ridings.

Each of the province’s 51 constituencies will count for 100 points, allocated according to the proportion of votes each candidate receives from that riding.

The convention’s keynote speech will be delivered Saturday by federal Conservative Leader Andrew Sheer. Party members will also pay tribute to outgoing Interim leader Karla MacFarlane.

Voting is expected to begin around 10:30 a.m., with the initial results expected around 1 p.m.