Article content continued

Poilievre said it is too early for him to endorse any candidate but said Ambrose has performed “brilliantly” and the party should not exclude someone who has shown “undeniable merit.”

The two MPs are not alone in their evaluation of the interim leader’s performance; a Mainstreet poll for Postmedia this week found 26 per cent of self-described Conservative supporters would vote for Ambrose, ahead of other potential candidates such as Kevin O’Leary, Peter MacKay, Tony Clement and Jason Kenney.

Maxime Bernier and Kellie Leitch are the only declared candidates, while Michael Chong is expected to announce his candidacy in the near future.

The 47-year-old Alberta MP was elected to temporarily replace Stephen Harper in November, beating seven of her colleagues in a caucus vote.Reid’s attempt is not being made at Ambrose’s behest, he said, but is recognition of her strong performance as interim leader.

He said she has struck the “right tone” in the House of Commons and deftly handled the internal politics of leadership.

The biggest hurdle Reid may have to overcome is convincing Ambrose to go for the top job. When she was asked before Christmas, she said she definitely had no intention to seek the permanent leadership. “That’s why I ran for interim leader — to support those who want to run,” she said.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or

People close to her say she has not changed her mind.

But when asked directly Friday, her answer did not explicitly rule out a bid. “I am very proud to see that Canadians are responding to our message. It means we are on the right track and I’m going to keep working hard until our new leader is selected and will do everything I can to make sure they succeed,” she said.