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 OTTAWA
(PoliticsWatch updated December 9, 2002 @ 4:45 p.m.) Tory
leadership candidate Heward Grafftey had harsh words for his
political opponents and the Progressive Conservative Party
today.
Grafftey, who was in Ottawa
to talk about his campaign platform, criticized potential
leadership candidates for not being bilingual. The 74-year-old,
a former Tory MP from the Francophone riding of Brome-Missisquoi,
argued the party could win 15 to 20 seats in Quebec with a
bilingual leader. Currently the only Tory MP from Quebec is
André Bachand from Richmond-Arthabaska.
"The next leader of our
party must be completely bilingual and bicultural if Quebeckers
are going to feel at home in the Progressive Conservative
family," Grafftey said at a press conference. "Anyone
looking for the leadership of my party, if he didn't decide
years ago to be fluent in both official languages, he's
dreaming."
Potential candidate Peter
MacKay told PoliticsWatch he will now wait until the new year to
decide on the leadership. He stepped down as Tory House leader
in October to test the waters. He remained justice,
solicitor-general and public security critic for the Tories,
which has kept him too busy to build up a campaign, MacKay said.
 When
asked about Grafftey's view of younger and unilingual
candidates, MacKay declined to comment but said in French that
he's taking language courses.
Grafftey is currently the
only declared candidate for the Conservative leadership race.
MPs Scott Brison and John Herron are also rumoured to be
potential candidates.
Grafftey also blasted his
party for being too elite and said this has caused the
Progressive Conservatives to fall from a majority government to
fourth place for seats in the House of Commons.
"I am entering this
race not only to rebuild my party. I am not running to be leader
of the Opposition. I am running to bring my great party to
power," he said. "The new leader must be dynamic. Be
progressive in social policy and conservative in economic policy
and be bilingual."
The candidate also dismissed
criticisms from his party and media about his age, pointing out
that many leaders like Ronald Reagan was in his 70s during the
American presidency.
Grafftey was first elected
to the House of Commons in 1958 and was later re-elected six
times. He was a Cabinet Minister under current party leader Joe
Clark in 1979. A new party leader will be chosen next spring at
a convention in Toronto.
Tory
will not run for Conservative leadership (
November 1)
MacKay
serious about Tory leadership
( October 31)
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