Andrew Scheer’s days as federal Conservative leader seem numbered, with more and more party members doubting his ability to win the next election.

Scheer faces a leadership review at the party’s regular convention in April. If he loses the review, or steps down before then, the Conservatives would be into their second leadership race in the last three years.

There is no heir-apparent to Scheer. Indeed, the lineup of potential contenders is uninspiring. Each is flawed in some major way, which raises doubts about the party’s ability to appeal to a greater spectrum of voters, even with a new leader.

Here are the potential candidates:

Peter MacKay: He wants it so badly he can taste it. Since quitting elected politics before the 2015 election, he has campaigned hard for Tories in local elections across the country. The big knock against MacKay is his lack of political smarts, which was best seen in 2003 when Stephen Harper outfoxed him during the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the MacKay-led Progressive Conservatives. The “progressive” wing of the party has been sidelined ever since. And do we even have to remind voters about his use of a search-and-rescue helicopter — at a cost to taxpayers of $16,000 — to pick him up at a remote private fishing camp in Labrador?

Rona Ambrose: Viewed as a possible front-runner, Ambrose has so much political baggage that it’s hard to see her appealing to many more voters than Scheer does. She was a disaster as Harper’s first environment minister where she worked to pull Canada out of the Kyoto accord; so bad that Harper eventually dumped her from the job. Her work in six other cabinet posts, except status of women, was lacklustre at best. Also, she’s a libertarian who loves Ayn Rand novels. Wow, how will that ever appeal to voters who already reject the Tories for their stands on climate change and progressive social policies. No worries, though, because Ambrose is expected to accept Justin Trudeau’s offer to become Canada’s ambassador to Washington.

Erin O’Toole: Some Tories believe the push to oust Scheer is being orchestrated by supporters of O’Toole, who finished third in the 2017 leadership race. The rural Ontario MP, who says he backs Scheer, offers little fresh to voters other than a military bearing gained from serving five years in the RCAF.

Lisa Raitt: Popular among some Parliament Hill insiders, her track record is so unimpressive that she was rejected by Tory voters during the 2017 leadership race in which she finished a distant eighth and she was solidly beaten in her Milton riding in the October election.

John Baird: Once seen as Stephen Harper’s “attack dog” in Parliament, the former cabinet minister has never expressed interest in being leader and would be bitterly opposed by social conservatives within the party.

Brad Wall: The ex-Saskatchewan leader is popular within the party. But is the party, which needs to expand its Eastern base, willing to take a chance on a third leader in a row from the Prairies?

Michelle Rempel: Oh, another Tory from Calgary championing more independence for Alberta. How is that appealing to voters in Eastern Canada?

Caroline Mulroney: Her dad Brian would love her to lead the party, but the Ontario cabinet minister would face hostility among French-speaking voters for her failure to stand up for French-language services in the province.

Doug Ford: Ontario Premier Flip-Flop once harboured dreams of becoming federal Tory leader and eventually prime minister. But after a disastrous first year as premier and with his popularity still in the tank provincially and nationally, that dream is now a nightmare.

Jason Kenney: As the fiery champion of Western alienation, the Alberta premier is now almost a pariah in Eastern Canada, the very region where Tories need to perform better.

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Stephen Harper: Don’t make me laugh! And yet a new poll by Abacus Data places him as the top choice for leader among Conservative voters. Is a comeback in the offing?

Given this sad, weak lineup, it’s easy to see why Scheer still believes he’s the best person to lead the Conservatives. With these choices, he may be right.

Bob Hepburn is a politics columnist and based in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter: is a politics columnist and based in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter: @BobHepburn

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