Stephen Harper appeared resigned to the daunting challenge of herding cats this weekend as the merged federal Conservative party opened the first policy convention of its young political life Thursday at the Palais des Congres.
"It's always a challenge in a Conservative party,'' the leader said after adding his name to the roughly 2,200 registered delegates for the three-day event.
"If you don't have factions, you're not a Conservative party, that's what I say. Ultimately we're individuals, so we could have 2,000 factions here.''
The throng in the downtown Montreal concourse spoke volumes.
There was Elsie Wayne, for the former Tory MP from New Brunswick, railing into the microphones about Dr. Henry Morgentaler's abortion clinics.
There, too, was Myron Thompson, the irascible Reform party stalwart from Alberta's Wild Rose riding, complaining that the new party was ``too much top down, not enough bottom up'' in its decision-making, and that matters were going to change at the weekend convention.
Belinda Stronach, the millionaire autoparts heiress from North Toronto, talked about Canada-U.S. relations and the necessity for moderation on subjects like same-sex marriage, which she endorses. Source.
