By Deneka Michaud
The race for the Conservative Party of Canada’s first federal nominee in Ottawa Centre is off to a late start.
The gates for Conservatives looking to run in the riding flew open two weeks ago, making it the last major party left without a candidate in Ottawa Centre.
The Liberals chose their candidate, Richard Mahoney, late last year, while the NDP selected Ed Broadbent late last month.
The Conservative Party’s slow start in the riding has led some to declare Ottawa Centre the domain of its competitors.
“As far as we’re concerned it’s a two-way race anyway between the Liberals and the NDP,” says Vicki Smallman, co-chair of Broadbent’s campaign.
Even if the Conservatives know from the get-go who they’re competing against, that doesn’t necessarily grant a party much of an advantage, she adds.
“You have an edge when you’re out their campaigning with your candidate – no matter who it is.”
Tom Thompson, president of Ottawa Centre’s Conservative riding association, says he’s not concerned about being the last major party to select a candidate.
“I think that if anything it’s just advantageous for us,” he says. “We’re the only party of the three major ones that is actually going to know who our rivals are.”
Thompson believes Broadbent’s candidacy in the riding was an unpleasant surprise for the relatively inexperienced Mahoney, who thought he’d be on easy street in Ottawa Centre.
The Conservatives know their enemies, but it will be some time before they choose a nominee.
Thompson says the tight deadlines that have faced the Conservatives, founded late last year with the merging of the Progressive Conservatives and the Canadian Alliance, would have made securing a nominee any earlier a tough proposition.
A higher priority for the riding association, he says, was selecting a new board of directors.
Though possible candidates can now submit applications, there still isn’t a date for the nomination meeting.
Administrative details like organizing the candidate selection committee must be sorted out before setting a meeting date, says David Brown, director of the candidate selection committee.
The meeting probably won’t take place until March, says a press release from the Conservative riding association.