Article content continued

Photo by SUE REEVE / Postmedia Network

“Caucus is largely still waiting for Rona,” said one person working on a rival leadership bid. One Conservative MP said there is a “generalized yearning” for Ambrose’s time in charge due to her skilful caucus management and almost conflict-free tenure of a year and a half.

Although the rules haven’t been officially finalized, candidates have been told to expect that entering the race will require a $300,000 deposit and 3,000 signatures from at least 30 ridings in seven different provinces. The deposit is much higher than the $100,000 deposit for the 2017 leadership race that elected Scheer, but it’s the collection of 3,000 Canada-wide signatures that could be a bigger barrier because it requires national organization.

The signatures will have to come from members of the party in good standing, so candidates will have to err on the side of caution and collect more than the minimum numbers in the event that some people have allowed their membership to lapse.

Photo by Frank Gunn / The Canadian Press

O’Toole, who came third in the leadership race in 2017, has committed to running and has his entire team from the previous bid intact, plus a much larger, “much more diverse” group on top of that, a source close to the campaign said.

Over the holidays, some members of O’Toole’s team got together to chart a path to victory for the MP who represents the Durham riding, and help him make the decision to join the race. His supporters believe he can be the solution to a major problem facing the Conservative Party electorally: he can win in the suburbs and, notably, the sprawling ridings around the Greater Toronto Area. Many in the party believe Scheer handled LGBT issues and abortion questions poorly in the fall election campaign and O’Toole’s team thinks he can be a mainstream voice on those issues.