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VANCOUVER – Michael Chong spent four straight hours shaking hands and posing for pictures at his hospitality suite.

Jason Kenney attracted huge crowds of Conservative delegates wherever he went.

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Kellie Leitch was busy signing up volunteers and organizers for her leadership campaign.

Peter MacKay was seemingly everywhere at the convention for someone retired from politics, on stage at times, and busy working the hallways chatting with delegates.

Maxime Bernier, Lisa Raitt and Tony Clement – like Kenney and Chong ­– all hosted popular hospitality suites that attracted hundreds of delegates from across the country.

Indeed, the declared leadership candidates and those considering running spent three days glad-handing and shmoozing at the Conservative party national convention in Vancouver, as they keep their eye on a leadership election that’s still a year away.

But leadership hopefuls also received important signals from members about where they want the next leader to take the party – including on contentious policies like accepting same-sex marriage – and how to make the party more inclusive to attract more Canadians into the Conservative fold.