The Conservative Party of Canada’s Leadership Election Organizing Committee (LEOC) met today to discuss the resumption of the 2020 Leadership Election. On March 26, the LEOC suspended the race due to the impact COVID-19 related health guidelines and government mandated closures were having on key processes needed to complete the race.

The LEOC took the time over the course of that suspension to re-evaluate the timeline needed to complete the race, and has concluded the Leadership Election can resume with adjustments to accommodate current circumstances, effective immediately. The membership deadline of May 15 will remain unchanged. The process will proceed with mail ballots, as required by the Party Constitution, and all ballots will need to be completed and received by August 21.  The result will be announced as soon as those ballots can be properly processed and examined by scrutineers while respecting any health guidelines in place at that time.

The safety and health of volunteers has been top of mind for the LEOC, and while the date to announce a new leader will be largely dependent on what health guidelines and government orders are in place in August, the LEOC has committed to monitoring the situation closely, and will look to confirm the announcement details in the coming weeks.