Leadership Candidates: Leadership Race and Caucus Leader

leadership candidates: But the nascent leadership race is expected to dominate discussions in the corridors of the downtown Halifax hotel as candidates seek support from their colleagues and those who have yet to declare get closer to making up their minds, according to The Waterloo Record. Quebec MP Denis Lebel, the deputy Conservative caucus leader, said that while some leadership candidates have been taking strong positions, no one should think the race to replace former prime minister Stephen Harper is tearing them apart. "Our caucus is united, very united," Lebel said Monday. Related Stories A look at the federal Tories by... Peter Mac Kay will not seek Tory... The Tories will spend two days discussing how to tackle the Liberals once everyone returns to Parliament Hill on Sept. 19, when they will push Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on his handling of the economy, national security, defence and other areas where the Conservatives have traditionally seen their strength. One of those positions is a proposal from the leadership campaign of Kellie Leitch, who wants to see the federal government screen potential immigrants and refugees for their views on what she is calling "Canadian values", such as the equality of men and women and tolerance for all religions, cultures and sexual orientations. Conservative MP Michael Chong went so far as to accuse Leitch of engaging in "dog-whistle politics." Even interim leader Rona Ambrose distanced herself from the idea, sparking a rebuke from Leitch. "I'm disappointed that an interim leader would engage themselves in the leadership race," Leitch told CTV "Question Period" on Sunday. The controversial idea woke up an otherwise sleepy contest earlier this month, prompting many of her rivals to denounce it. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.