Report: Harper Leaves Conservative Fund, Seeks To Stop Charest

With the establishment press pushing Charest to takeover the Conservative Party, Harper is seeking to block that from happening.

Jean Charest’s potential bid to lead the Conservative Party is facing yet another massive roadblock.

After Conservatives expressed intense outrage against Charest when it was revealed the former Quebec Liberal Premier was advising Communist China’s Huawei, it was clear his leadership bid had already received a crippling blow.

And now, former Prime Minister Stephen Harper is set to fight against Charest’s bid.

As Harper shared on Twitter, the former PM is leaving the Conservative Fund:

“I thank Irving Gerstein & Directors of Conservative Fund Canada for their hard work over the years. Their record of fundraising & expenditure management has been unparalleled in federal politics, w/ issues managed quickly & professionally. It has been a pleasure to serve w/ them.”

According to a Macleans report, Harper resigned to fight against Charest:

“And since the first version of this article was posted, two top Conservative sources have told Maclean’s that Harper’s main goal in resigning is to free himself up to block Jean Charest’s campaign for the party leadership.

Charest, the former Quebec premier who was Progressive Conservative party leader from 1993 to 1998, called Harper before Christmas to seek his blessing for a run, a source with knowledge of the situation said. Harper refused to give it, saying the party is no longer the party Charest led. As it becomes increasingly clear that Charest is serious about a run, Harper has decided to become directly involved in the campaign, sources said.”

As many have noted, a Charest-led Conservative Party would be basically indistinguishable from the Trudeau Liberals. Charest supports a carbon tax, had repeatedly demanded higher federal transfers for the Quebec government, wants to increase restrictions on law-abiding Canadian gun owners, and is generally seen as a creature of the elites, rather than a representative of working class Canadians and the Conservative base.

With Harper seeking to stop Charest, Charest’s long-shot bid is now even more unlikely.

Spencer Fernando

Photo – Twitter