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But Leitch is good to go, as are Tony Clement, Maxime Bernier and Michael Chong – none of them among the top tier in Harper’s firmament, save Clement to a point. It is as though – perish the thought – those with the best chance of defeating Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in 2019 have decided they can’t, and are content to let another take the fall.

Even among those now declared, Leitch was a controversial candidate, not least because she — with Chris Alexander, the former diplomat and immigration minister who lost his seat last year — had been a poster child for the “barbaric practices tip line” miscue that sent last year’s Conservative campaign into the ditch.

The tip line, a transparent bid to stoke a fight with the Liberals and New Democrats over the “reasonable accommodation” of immigrants, undid in a day much of the good work done by the party to welcome new Canadians. In April on CBC’s Power & Politics, Leitch teared up while professing regret. That put the matter to rest, seemingly.

But apparently, as far as Team Leitch is concerned, a new wind is blowing — a nativist wind, ripe for the harvest.

But apparently, as far as Team Leitch is concerned, a new wind is blowing — a nativist wind, ripe for the harvest. Last week it was reported that a Leitch campaign survey had posed this question: “Should the Canadian government screen potential immigrants for anti-Canadian values as part of its normal screening for refugees and landed immigrants?” A furor ensued. Leitch upped the ante.

“Canadians can expect to hear more, not less from me, on this topic in the coming months,” she said Friday.