OTTAWA –
Conservative leader candidate Leslyn Lewis will not attend next week’s mandatory debate.
The news comes after Lewis posted an open letter to Twitter on Wednesday addressed to the party’s Leadership Elections Organizing Committee (LEOC), saying candidates had not been given enough time to rearrange their campaign plans to attend the debate, and that she hopes the format moves away from the “usual issues” and tackles other topics instead.
“Dr. Lewis has committed to meeting in person with local grassroots members next week,” campaign spokesman Michael Hetrick wrote in an email to CTVNews.ca on Thursday. “She will honor those commitments.”
Lewis’ campaign will automatically be fined $50,000 for failing to attend an official debate.
Candidate Pierre Poilievre is also skipping the event. That leaves only Jean Charest, Scott Aitchison and Roman Baber to take the stage for the final official debate of the campaign period.
Meanwhile, Conservative Party President Rob Batterson told CTV News Channel last week that candidates had been given “ample” notice of the third debate and the decision to hold one was in the best interest of party members.
The party confirmed on Thursday that Batterson himself will moderate next week’s debate.
The bilingual event is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, August 3 in Ottawa.
With files from CTV Ottawa National News Bureau Chief Joyce Napier
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