MP Martin Shields speaks on the Conservative party shake-ups

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By Ian Croft
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
news@tabertimes.com

The Conservative parties, both federal and provincial, have an interesting dilemma in front of them as they both currently lack a leader.

Martin Shields, a member of the federal Conservative party and MP of Bow River, gave his take on the entire situation.

“I think June 2 or June 3 is the cut off date to buy memberships,” Shields said. “That is basically what the leadership candidates have been doing since the race started — was encouraging people to buy memberships. Which have been their main targets, sure, all those who have memberships, they’re trying to include as well, but they’re trying to enlarge the voting base by encouraging the buying of memberships. That comes to an end and then they will be able to have a list of all those new members, as well as those who have been members before to influence in the coming months. There have been the debates, English and French debates, that have happened. People may have seen them with the candidates, all six of them. The Canadian public probably had an opportunity if they didn’t know them — if they want to — they could’ve listened to those leadership debates. From the point of view of our constituents, they’ve been asking questions about the leadership, people have asked me how the leadership race is and what’s happening. That’s been ongoing.”

Voting for the new leader of the Conservative party is restricted to only individuals who signed up to be members.

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