Richard Décarie, first pro-lifer in 2020 Conservative leadership race

A bilingual political activist who was Stephen Harper’s Québec lieutenant when the former leader united the right, has launched his own bid to become leader of the Conservative Party of Canada. Richard Décarie, who served as Harper’s Québec organizer and deputy chief of staff when he was Leader of the Opposition, assembled a campaign team and had a soft campaign launch in early January. When he appeared on CTV’s Power Playwith Evan Solomon on Jan. 22 and talked about his views on LGBQT issues, he was quickly pilloried online by several other leadership hopefuls.

Décarie told The Interimthat he is running to get rid of the Liberals, thwart Jean Charest and Peter MacKay’s leadership bids, and provide “full spectrum conservatism” to the party and country. After the interview, former federal Progressive Conservative leader and erstwhile Québec Liberal Premier Jean Charest announced he would not run for the leadership.

Décarie said that Charest and MacKay were from the progressive wing of the old Progressive Conservative Party and would turn the Tories into another Liberal Party if either was elected leader.