Toronto — Ontario's two hopefuls for the Conservative Party leadership brought their campaigns to Toronto on Wednesday, holding events to try to harvest support in the vote-rich province.
Tony Clement, the former Ontario health minister, boasted of growing support for his leadership run while naming ex-federal Tory cabinet minister John Crosbie as co-chair of his campaign.
Mr. Clement's sparsely attended news conference at a downtown hotel didn't compare to the turnout for the official opening of rival Belinda Stronach's national campaign headquarters.
Ms. Stronach was greeted by 300 cheering supporters chanting "Belinda, Belinda," and she was introduced by former Ontario premier Mike Harris, who credited her for bringing excitement to the leadership race.
Conservative leadership candidate Belinda Stronach and supporter Ben Kerr listen to a speech at the opening of her campaign headquarters in Toronto on Wednesday. (Frank Gunn/CP)
"People all across the country ... are talking about our new Conservative Party," Mr. Harris told supporters who crammed into the campaign office.
Ontario is crucial for both Ms. Stronach and Mr. Clement because former Canadian Alliance leader Stephen Harper, who is the only other candidate in the race, is seen as already having locked up the majority of support in Western Canada.
Although the fact Mr. Harper is not from Ontario may been seen by some as a disadvantage against the other two candidates in Canada's most populous province, he is confident of his chances.
"I won the Alliance leadership partly by sweeping the Ontario ballot in 2002," Mr. Harper said Wednesday from Ottawa, where he filed his nomination papers.
"I don't think we're out of it in Ontario by any means. I think we could well win this vote in Ontario."
Mr. Crosbie headed a long list of endorsements that Mr. Clement reeled off, including 10 Conservatives in the Ontario legislature, several former federal cabinet ministers and several members of Alberta's Tory cabinet.
"The list ... I have given you is just the opening salvo of the kind of support we're garnering from coast to coast to coast," Mr. Clement said.
"Perhaps it's been overshadowed in a week that has had a few other things on the table; I can't compete with the Oscars every day."
Mr. Clement dismissed suggestions that he will be unable to compete with Ms. Stronach's vast wealth and telegenic persona.
"They [party members] want someone with credibility, they want someone with experience, they want someone with political savvy," he said. "Our campaign is gaining ground and air speed."
Ms. Stronach also tried to downplay the millions of dollars at her disposal.
"Money can't buy credibility — it's ideas that can and will buy credibility," Ms. Stronach said to reporters after speaking to supporters.
Ms. Stronach's lack of political experience shouldn't be considered a liability, Mr. Harris said.
"There's a whole bunch of politicians that have been there a long time in Ottawa that are not doing much good for Canada," he said.
Sid Noel, a political science professor at King's College in London, Ont., said it will be difficult for Mr. Clement to surmount all the money and media exposure that Ms. Stronach enjoys.
"It [the media coverage] plays an important factor," Mr. Noel said.
"Poor Tony Clement has been relegated page 7 of the newspapers and Belinda Stronach has a large photograph on the front page. It's very tough to overcome that."
The Conservative leadership vote is set for March 31.
