Former BC premier Christy Clark is backing Jean Charest to be the next leader of the federal Conservatives at a time when she says the party is going to extremes.
Clark was addressing the Conservatives at a conference in Edmonton organized by a group that advocates for federal Conservatives to turn to the political center.
The former prime minister, who led BC’s centre-right Liberal Party, gave an impassioned speech about the need for political leaders to focus on what Canadians have in common, not stoke the division.
She accused Trudeau of dividing the country by saying the views of “Freedom Convoy” protesters who blocked roads and highways last winter to oppose COVID-19 vaccination mandates were unacceptable.
Clark says divisive politicians create opportunities for others to do the same, and she thinks federal conservatives are now “racing the extremes” with rhetoric that is sometimes even worse.
His comments come as party members have less than a month to vote to choose the next leader.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on August 11, 2022.