Interim party leaders are not just caretakers

Limited authority and limited time mean that major accomplishments by interim leaders are not possible. However, they can make a difference.

Conservative MP Candice Bergen, pictured Feb. 2, 2022, on the Hill. Her primary task is to begin to heal the divisions over leadership and/or ideology that have handicapped the CPC party in recent decades. This will be a big challenge for someone who clearly leans to the right. Keeping more moderate MPs in the CPC caucus content, especially during a year-long leadership contest that will likely amplify divisions, will take all her interpersonal and negotiating skills, writes Paul Thomas. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Opinion

BY PAUL G. THOMAS

February 14, 2022

On Feb. 2, after voting to remove Erin O’Toole as party leader, the parliamentary caucus of the Conservative Party of Canada elected Candace Bergen, MP for Portage Lisgar, Man., to serve as interim party leader of the party. Many media commentators used the term “caretaker” to describe Bergen�...

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