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OTTAWA — As travel is shut down, businesses are ordered to close and people are told to stay in their homes to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the Conservative party is still going full steam ahead with its leadership race — despite two of the four candidates on the final ballot calling for a delay, including Erin O’Toole.

Peter MacKay, meanwhile, is now calling for the vote to take place sooner, saying the party needs a permanent leader quickly to be an effective check on the government. MacKay and O’Toole are the front-runners in the race, though MacKay is still widely seen as the favourite.

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But behind the scenes there has been growing debate among party officials over whether continuing the campaign is the right move, according to multiple sources who spoke to the National Post on condition of anonymity.

There is concern that holding the campaign during the pandemic is awful public relations for the party, and unfair to candidates who can’t campaign in person and have to try to raise money despite mass layoffs and a tanking economy.