{"id":66954,"date":"2017-02-04T11:11:45","date_gmt":"2017-02-04T11:11:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/usa.timesofnews.com\/conservative-memberships-likely-down-from-2004-leadership-race-despite-larger-field.html"},"modified":"2017-02-04T11:11:45","modified_gmt":"2017-02-04T11:11:45","slug":"conservative-memberships-likely-down-from-2004-leadership-race-despite-larger-field","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usa.timesofnews.com\/breaking-news\/political\/conservative-memberships-likely-down-from-2004-leadership-race-despite-larger-field.html","title":{"rendered":"Conservative memberships likely down from 2004 leadership race despite larger field"},"content":{"rendered":"

With 14 candidates in the Conservative leadership race trying to attract new supporters,\u00a0the party’s membership roll\u00a0has\u00a0the potential to be larger than ever. But so far, it seems the number of people eligible to vote in May will be smaller than when the party picked Stephen Harper as leader in 2004.<\/p>\n

“There (are) going to be fewer memberships sold in this membership race compared to 2004,” candidate Michael Chong\u00a0said last week at the party’s caucus meeting in Quebec City.\u00a0And he’s not alone in this assessment.<\/p>\n

Why?<\/p>\n

In 2004, the Conservative Party was new. It had just merged the lists of its legacy parties, the Progressive Conservative party and the Canadian Alliance (previously the Reform Party.) Over\u00a0250,000 members were eligible to vote.<\/p>\n

\"CONSERVATIVE<\/p>\n

Stephen Harper, centre, defeated Tony Clement, left, and Belinda Stronach to win the Conservative Party leadership in 2004 by a large margin. The 2017 vote will feature the same weighted ridings and ranked ballot system that elected Harper, but the way the party is selling memberships has changed. (Jonathan Hayward\/Canadian Press)<\/p>\n

“Canadians were quite upset with the Liberal government of the day because of the \u2026\u00a0[sponsorship] scandal<\/a>,” Chong said. “There was an incentive for people to join the Conservative Party to get rid of the Liberal government.”<\/p>\n

Today, it’s different. Conservatives just spent a decade\u00a0in power, with all the bumps and knocks that brings.<\/p>\n

Party estimates\u00a0tally\u00a0the current membership at just over 100,000. This figure is growing, as lapsed\u00a0members renew to vote\u00a0and candidates’ teams sign up new\u00a0supporters.<\/p>\n

But Chong\u00a0said\u00a0he’ll be surprised if there are 150,000 eligible voters on May 27 when the party picks its new leader. That figure might be a bit conservative, but no one CBC News spoke to expects much more.\u00a0<\/p>\n

$15 to join<\/h2>\n

Controversy erupted last year over the party’s decision to hike annual membership fees to $25 from $15.<\/p>\n

Jason Kenney<\/a>\u00a0\u2014\u00a0who considered running for the federal leadership before deciding to run for the Alberta Progressive Conservative leadership instead \u2014 and Deepak Obhrai<\/a>, who did join the race, were among the loudest voices calling the fee hike a disincentive.<\/p>\n

The party relented. The fee\u00a0is still $15.<\/p>\n

But something else has changed.<\/p>\n

Candidates\u00a0are no longer free to sign up and pay for large blocks of new members using campaign funds. Individuals have to buy their own membership using a credit card or cheque.<\/p>\n

\"Conservative<\/p>\n

Clement joined the Conservative leadership race last July but dropped out later in the year. Selling memberships under the new rules is harder now, he found. (Chris Young\/Canadian Press)<\/p>\n

“It’s comparatively difficult to sign up people,” said Tony Clement, once a candidate himself but\u00a0now working on Maxime\u00a0Bernier’s\u00a0team.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“If you’re doing a phone bank …\u00a0your next question is great, give me, a stranger, your credit card information so I can get you\u00a0signed up. It’s not going to happen.”<\/p>\n

Clement called\u00a0the rules “impediments to massive signups.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

Candidate Andrew Scheer\u00a0doesn’t mind them, arguing they protect\u00a0the integrity of the race by preventing the shenanigans of Tory races past.<\/a><\/p>\n

When someone buys a $15 membership, the party “can count on that person to help in an election, show up at events, to make donations down the road,” he said.<\/p>\n