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Polling data in the wake of the 2019 election indicated a Conservative brand that is in trouble. “Out of date”, “bigoted”, “narrow-minded” and “skeptical” were the words most commonly associated with the party in one Abacus Data survey. The responses helped explain why the number of Canadians who would consider voting Conservative fell to a new low, behind the Liberals and NDP.

Peter MacKay has recognized that the next Conservative leader needs to grow that pool of accessible voters, hence his application for permission to participate in this year’s Toronto Pride parade.

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But while MacKay has made clear he plans to refresh the Conservative brand on social issues if elected leader, he has been more opaque when it comes the climate file.

His leadership rival Marilyn Gladu contends that the policy brought forward by Andrew Scheer at the last election “didn’t resonate” with Canadians and that to win the next one, the Conservatives have to offer voters a “credible offering”.