Article content continued

Conservatives have seen these battles before, dating back to the decade when the old Reform/Canadian Alliance parties and Progressive Conservative party split the centre-right vote before they united in 2003 to create the Conservative Party of Canada.

And while the political stakes are once again enormous, there are differences of opinion within the party over how destructive the conflict may prove to be.

“The fractures going on in the party (are) very real,” said Justin Burton, a 30-year-old Conservative Party member and founder of a think tank called Future. CPC. Leaders., which aims to connect young conservatives with Tory MPs.

“The ability to unify our party is going to be the biggest thing going forward that our next leader is going to have to be able to do.”

The heated debate among members at the recent Conservative convention over the definition of marriage demonstrated the fault lines that appear to be reopening, he said.

“It’s a scary time when we start hearing things like that … it almost felt like we were moving backwards instead of forwards,” Burton said. “It almost makes you feel like you’re turning into a fractured party again over these types of issues.”

Burton, who lives in Burlington, Ont., has been a Conservative member since he was 18 and has been running the fledgling think tank for about three years. Current and former Conservative MPs are flocking to him for help getting young supporters engaged in the leadership race.