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.
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.
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
MPs: (5) Gerald Keddy (South Shore, NS), Chuck Strahl (Fraser Valley, BC), Norman Doyle (St. John's East, NL), Art Hanger (Calgary Northeast, AB), Peter Goldring (Edmonton Centre-East, AB) Senators: (2) Brenda Robertson (NB), Wilbert Keon (ON)
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
MPs: (50) Jim Abbott (Kootenay-Columbia, BC), Diane Ablonczy (Calgary Nose Hill, AB), Rob Anders (Calgary West, AB), David Anderson (Cypress Hills—Grasslands, SK), Roy Bailey (Souris—Moose Mountain, SK), Leon Benoit (Lakeland, AB), Garry Breitkreuz (Yorkton—Melville, SK), Andy Burton (Skeena, BC), Chuck Cadman (Surrey North, BC), Rick Casson (Lethbridge, AB), Dave Chatters (Athabasca, AB), John Duncan (Vancouver Island North, BC), Reed Elley (Nanaimo-Cowichan, BC), Ken Epp (Elk Island, AB), Brian Fitzpatrick (Prince Albert, SK), Paul Forseth (New Westminster—Coquitlam—Burnaby, BC), Jim Gouk (Kootenay—Boundary—Okanagan, BC), Gurmant Grewal (Surrey Central, BC), Dick Harris (Prince George-Bulkley Valley, BC), Jay Hill (Prince George-Peace River, BC), Betty Hinton (Kamloops, Thompson and Highland Valleys, BC), Rahim Jaffer (Edmonton-Strathcona, AB), Dale Johnston (Wetaskiwin, AB), Jason Kenney (Calgary Southeast, AB), Gary Lunn (Saanich-Gulf Islands, BC), James Lunney (Nanaimo-Alberni, BC), Philip Mayfield (Cariboo—Chilcotin, BC), Grant McNally (Dewdney-Alouette, BC), Rob Merrifield (Yellowhead, AB), Bob Mills (Red Deer, AB), James Moore (Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC), Deepak Obhrai (Calgary East, AB), Brian Pallister (Portage-Lisgar, MB), Charlie Penson (Peace River, AB), James Rajotte (Edmonton Southwest, AB), Scott Reid (Lanark-Carleton, ON), John Reynolds (West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast, BC), Gerry Ritz (Battlefords-Lloydminster, SK), Werner Schmidt (Kelowna, BC), Carol Skelton (Saskatoon-Rosetown-Biggar, SK), Monte Solberg (Medicine Hat, AB), Kevin Sorenson (Crowfoot, AB), Darrel Stinson (Okanagan-Shuswap, BC), Greg Thompson (New Brunswick Southwest, NB), Myron Thompson (Wild Rose, AB), Vic Toews (Provencher, MB), Maurice Vellacott (Saskatoon-Wanuskewin, SK), Randy White (Langley-Abbotsford, BC), John Williams (St. Albert, AB), Lynne Yelich (Blackstrap, SK) Senators: (2) Gerry St. Germain (BC), David Tkachuk (SK)
Belinda Stronach
37, CEO of Magna International (2001–)