2004 Conservative Party of Canada leadership election

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2004 Conservative Party of Canada leadership election
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg
  2003 (PC)
2002 (CA)
March 20, 2004 2017  
 
Stephen Harper head.jpg
Belinda Head Shot - Golf Rocks.JPG
TonyClementMP (cropped).jpg
Candidate Stephen Harper Belinda Stronach Tony Clement
Popular vote67,14322,2867,968
Percentage68.9%22.9%8.2%
Points17,29610,6132,887
Percentage56.2%34.5%9.4%

CPC leadership map 2004.png
Results by Canadian electoral district

Leader before election

John Lynch-Staunton (interim)

Elected Leader

Stephen Harper

2004 Conservative leadership election
Convention Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Toronto
Won by Stephen Harper
Ballots1
Candidates3
Entrance Fee C$100,000 [1]
Spending limit C$2.5 million [2]
Progressive Conservative leadership elections
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Canadian Alliance leadership elections
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Conservative leadership elections
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The 2004 Conservative Party of Canada leadership election took place on March 20, 2004, in Toronto, Ontario, and resulted in the election of Stephen Harper as the first leader of the new Conservative Party of Canada. The Conservative Party was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada, in December 2003.

Contents

Stephen Harper, the former leader of the Canadian Alliance, was elected on the first (and only) ballot. Tony Clement, a former Ontario Progressive Conservative health minister, and Belinda Stronach, the former Chief Executive Officer of Magna International, were the other candidates on the ballot. [3]

The leader was selected by a system in which each of the party's riding associations was allocated 100 points, which were allocated among candidates in proportion to the votes that he or she received. This system was selected as a condition of the merger, to prevent the far larger Canadian Alliance membership base from overwhelming that of the Progressive Conservatives.

Members voted using ranked ballots. If no candidate won a majority of votes in the first round, the ballots supporting the candidate with the smallest number of votes would be re-distributed according to the voters' second preferences. Subsequent rounds were not needed, however, because Stephen Harper won in the first round.

Candidates

Tony Clement

42, Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario Member of Provincial Parliament for Brampton South (1995–2003), provincial Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (2001–2003), provincial Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing (1999–2001), provincial Minister of the Environment (1999–2000), provincial Minister of Transportation (1997–1999), third place candidate in Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario leadership election (2002)

Caucus Endorsements

Stephen Harper

44, Reform Party of Canada MP for Calgary West (1993–1997), Canadian Alliance MP for Calgary Southwest (2002–), Leader of the Canadian Alliance (2002–2003), President of the National Citizens Coalition (1998–2002)

Caucus Endorsements

Belinda Stronach

37, CEO of Magna International (2001–)

Caucus Endorsements

Announced they would not run

Results

Results by round
Candidate1st round
Votes cast%Points allocated%
Prime Minister Stephen Harper in 2006.jpg Stephen Harper 67,14368.9%17,29656.2%
Belinda Stronach 2006 Convention.jpg Belinda Stronach 22,28622.9%10,61334.5%
Tony Clement 2012.jpg Tony Clement 7,9688.2%2,8879.4
Total97,397100%30,796100%

Points needed to win: 15,401

Each of 308 ridings had 100 points which were distributed by proportional representation according to votes cast by party members in the riding.

Votes
Harper
68.94%
Stronach
22.88%
Clement
8.18%
Points
Harper
56.16%
Stronach
34.46%
Clement
9.37%

The actual vote totals remained confidential when the leadership election results were announced; only the point totals were made public at the time, giving the impression of a race that was much closer than was actually the case. Three years later, Harper's former campaign manager, Tom Flanagan, published the actual vote totals, noting that, among other distortions caused by the equal-weighting system, "a vote cast in Quebec was worth 19.6 times as much as a vote cast in Alberta". [5]

Total expenses

Timeline

December 2003

January 2004

March 2004

Breakdown by province

Points allocated by candidate (rounded)
ProvinceClementHarperStronachTotal
Newfoundland and Labrador102231369702
Prince Edward Island4185272398
Nova Scotia1104095821,101
New Brunswick514614921,004
Quebec4522,5064,5387,496
Ontario1,6726,0352,89110,598
Manitoba721,0292991,400
Saskatchewan511,1412081,400
Alberta812,3803462,807
British Columbia2302,8784923,600
Yukon66232100
Northwest Territories95339101
Nunavut172856101
Total2,89417,29810,61630,808

Breakdown by riding

Newfoundland and Labrador

RidingClementHarperStronach
Avalon272251
Bonavista—Exploits123653
Humber—St. Barbe—Baie
Verte
34552
Labrador05050
Random—Burin—St.
George's
133156
St. John's North302645
St. John's South172162

Prince Edward Island

RidingClementHarperStronach
Cardigan111177
Charlottetown93358
Egmont92368
Malpeque121869

Nova Scotia

RidingClementHarperStronach
Cape Breton—Canso92368
Central Nova62470
Dartmouth—Cole Harbour164836
Halifax133849
Halifax West154441
Kings-Hants63757
North Nova63757
Sackville—Eastern Shore105139
South Shore—St. Margaret's163153
Sydney—Victoria92567
West Nova45145

New Brunswick

RidingClementHarperStronach
Acadia-Bathurst6590
Beauséjour25048
Fredericton76429
Fundy95636
Madawaska—Restigouche12673
Miramichi33563
Moncton—Riverview—
Dieppe
75043
St. Croix—Belleisle47125
Saint John94547
Tobique—Mactaquac35938

Quebec

RidingClementHarperStronach
Abitibi—Témiscamingue04456
Ahuntsic03565
Alfred-Pellan53758
Argenteuil—Mirabel06338
Beauce02278
Beauharnois—Salaberry231463
Beauport44650
Berthier—Maskinongé31880
Bourassa04654
Brome—Missisquoi45937
Brossard—La Prairie82963
Chambly—Borduas31582
Charlesbourg32374
Charlevoix—Montmorency02080
Châteauguay—Saint-
Constant
2791
Chicoutimi—Le Fjord06436
Compton—Stanstead154343
Drummond22771
Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-
Madeleine
05050
Gatineau33266
Hochelaga00100
Honoré-Mercier0496
Hull—Aylmer114044
Jeanne-Le Ber122662
Joliette04060
Jonquière—Alma02971
Lac-Saint-Louis83953
La Pointe-de-l'Île71380
LaSalle—Émard63361
Laurentides—Labelle0496
Laurier312643
Laval47224
Laval—Les Îles93457
Lévis—Bellechasse03565
Longueuil03367
Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-
Chaudière
02377
Louis-Hébert72073
Louis-Saint-Laurent34750
Manicouagan21979
Marc-Aurèle-Fortin102367
Matapédia—Matane04753
Mégantic—L'Érable01684
Montcalm33266
Mount Royal255025
Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—
Lachine
44056
Nunavik—Eeyou04060
Outremont344026
Papineau173647
Pierrefonds—Dollard173549
Pontiac65539
Portneuf24058
Quebec52569
Repentigny65935
Richelieu145233
Richmond—Arthabaska02179
Rimouski—Témiscouata154638
Rivière-des-Mille-Îles94545
Rivière-du-Loup—
Montmagny
0893
Rivière-du-Nord115633
Roberval05248
Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie53362
Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert1594
Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot02674
Saint-Jean283141
Saint-Lambert23067
Saint-Laurent—Cartierville154441
Saint-Léonard—Saint-
Michel
0595
Saint-Maurice—Champlain05347
Shefford21681
Sherbrooke03268
Terrebonne—Blainville42076
Trois-Rivières03961
Vaudreuil-Soulanges127216
Vercheres—Les Patriotes01288
Westmount—Ville-Marie303931

Ontario

RidingClementHarperStronach
Ajax-Pickering125732
Algoma—Manitoulin—
Kapuskasing
86428
Ancaster—Dundas—
Flamborough —Westdale
116721
Barrie95932
Beaches—East York264431
Bramalea—Gore—Malton252847
Brampton—Springdale622810
Brampton West543214
Brant136423
Burlington126027
Cambridge116425
Carleton—Lanark66727
Chatham-Kent—Essex86626
Clarington—Scugog—
Uxbridge
76824
Davenport294130
Don Valley East166222
Don Valley West245125
Dufferin—Caledon145630
Eglinton—Lawrence373924
Elgin—Middlesex—London125731
Essex87220
Etobicoke Centre175924
Etobicoke—Lakeshore225126
Etobicoke North204337
Glengarry—Prescott—
Russell
57223
Grey—Bruce—Owen Sound76824
Guelph195625
Haldimand—Norfolk106723
Haliburton—Kawartha
Lakes— Brock
66728
Halton176419
Hamilton Centre105733
Hamilton East—Stoney
Creek
75637
Hamilton Mountain167411
Huron—Bruce135235
Kenora95140
Kingston and the Islands166223
Kitchener Centre126128
Kitchener—Conestoga67024
Kitchener—Waterloo156025
Lanark—Frontenac—
Lennox and Addington
77221
Leeds—Grenville56927
London—Fanshawe126820
London North Centre116721
London West97615
Markham—Unionville404020
Middlesex—Kent—Lambton116226
Mississauga—Brampton
South
563212
Mississauga East—
Cooksville
155431
Mississauga—Erindale215128
Mississauga South186022
Mississauga—Streetsville285121
Nepean—Carleton56926
Newmarket—Aurora73757
Niagara Falls96922
Niagara West—Glanbrook87121
Nickel Belt63460
Nipissing—Timiskaming46234
Northumberland—Quinte
West
166420
Oak Ridges—Markham185329
Oakville156520
Oshawa156025
Ottawa Centre96526
Ottawa—Orléans66529
Ottawa South86726
Ottawa—Vanier96031
Ottawa West—Nepean86626
Oxford185428
Parkdale—High Park294328
Parry Sound—Muskoka174933
Perth—Wellington145432
Peterborough97417
Pickering—Scarborough
East
115436
Prince Edward—Hastings86626
Renfrew—Nipissing—
Pembroke
48215
Richmond Hill193843
St. Catharines156619
St. Paul's344323
Sarnia—Lambton185923
Sault Ste. Marie76825
Scarborough—Agincourt135334
Scarborough Centre145927
Scarborough—Guildwood135532
Scarborough—Rouge River344026
Scarborough Southwest156025
Simcoe—Grey117118
Simcoe North106426
Stormont—Dundas—South
Glengarry
67122
Sudbury115039
Thornhill274825
Thunder Bay—Rainy River87319
Thunder Bay—Superior
North
284824
Timmins—James Bay53659
Toronto Centre253837
Toronto—Danforth224533
Trinity—Spadina254233
Vaughan422335
Welland86922
Wellington—Halton Hills116424
Whitby—Oshawa185922
Willowdale195525
Windsor—Tecumseh186517
Windsor West12799
York Centre205624
York—Simcoe165232
York South—Weston174637
York West141967

Manitoba

RidingClementHarperStronach
Brandon—Souris47422
Charleswood—St. James56728
Churchill37125
Dauphin—Swan River26731
Elmwood—Transcona27721
Kildonan—St. Paul68113
Portage—Lisgar57421
Provencher48610
Saint Boniface47323
Selkirk—Interlake57817
Winnipeg Centre106723
Winnipeg North67421
Winnipeg South67618
Winnipeg South Centre106426

Saskatchewan

RidingClementHarperStronach
Battlefords—Lloydminster08910
Blackstrap48017
Churchill River2899
Cypress Hills—Grasslands2908
Palliser47719
Prince Albert18613
Regina—Lumsden—Lake
Centre
67419
Regina—Qu'Appelle38215
Saskatoon—Humboldt87914
Saskatoon—Rosetown—
Biggar
48411
Saskatoon—Wanuskewin2908
Souris—Moose Mountain46829
Wascana66925
Yorkton—Melville58411

Alberta

RidingClementHarperStronach
Athabasca28315
Calgary East48610
Calgary North Centre68113
Calgary Northeast47125
Calgary—Nose Hill58313
Calgary South Centre78013
Calgary Southeast48511
Calgary Southwest4906
Calgary West58312
Crowfoot1927
Edmonton—Beaumont37721
Edmonton Centre47917
Edmonton East28414
Edmonton—Leduc38611
Edmonton—St. Albert28811
Edmonton—Sherwood Park58214
Edmonton—Spruce Grove28316
Edmonton—Strathcona37719
Lethbridge2917
Macleod28711
Medicine Hat1927
Peace River28415
Red Deer2908
Vegreville—Wainwright18910
Westlock—St. Paul18415
Wetaskiwin1945
Wild Rose2909
Yellowhead18911

British Columbia

RidingClementHarperStronach
Abbotsford3934
Burnaby—Douglas98110
Burnaby—New Westminster157510
Cariboo—Prince George28513
Chilliwack—Fraser Canyon26668
Delta—Richmond East66727
Dewdney—Alouette78112
Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca48610
Fleetwood—Port Kells68015
Kamloops—Thompson38512
Kelowna18415
Kootenay—Columbia1918
Langley77815
Nanaimo—Alberni4888
Nanaimo—Cowichan38710
Newton—North Delta37423
New Westminster—
Coquitlam
11808
North Okanagan—Shuswap3898
North Vancouver68410
Okanagan—Coquihalla37918
Port Moody—Westwood—
Port Coquitlam
186319
Prince George—Peace River18712
Richmond18910
Saanich—Gulf Islands58510
Skeena—Bulkley Valley38214
Southern Interior38413
South Surrey—White Rock
—Cloverdale
48214
Surrey North37720
Vancouver Centre105634
Vancouver East66529
Vancouver Island North38810
Vancouver Kingsway117118
Vancouver Quadra107416
Vancouver South147511
Victoria107614
West Vancouver—
Sunshine Coast
5914

Yukon

RidingClementHarperStronach
Yukon66232

Northwest Territories

RidingClementHarperStronach
Western Arctic95339

Nunavut

RidingClementHarperStronach
Nunavut172856

See also

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References

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  2. "Conservative leadership race kicks off with $50,000 entrance fee and $5M spending cap". National Post. March 8, 2016. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
  3. "Harper wins Conservative leadership". CBC News, March 22, 2004.
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  6. "Alliance members vote 95.9% in favour of merger". CBC News, December 5, 2003.
  7. "MacKay slams Brison for joining Liberals". CBC News, December 10, 2003.
  8. "Stronach jumps into Conservative leadership race". CBC News, January 20, 2004.