Number of Conservative members surge: party says 675,000 eligible to vote in fall leadership contest

The Conservative Party of Canada has released a preliminary list of members eligible to vote in the party's September leadership race showing there are now more than twice the number of eligible voters than were in the 2020 contest that crowned Erin O'Toole as leader. 

The preliminary numbers released Thursday indicate there are now roughly 675,000 members eligible to vote for the next Conservative leader, compared with the 269,469 party members that were able to vote last time around. 

"What we have here is really an extraordinary and historic growth of the membership list," said Ian Brodie, chair of the party's Leadership Election Organizing Committee.

Between February and June the party says roughly 613,000 thousand members signed up, although 45,000 of those are likely party renewals. Still, Brodie says the numbers show Canadians are engaged in the race.

"Campaigns have had an extraordinary reach across this country into the lives of Canadians to engage them in this race," Brodie said.

The preliminary list will now go to leadership candidates to review. They will have until Monday to request members be removed or added to the list.

Brodie said campaigns will have to substantiate their challenges by providing some valid explanation for why a member should be removed from the list. The basis for a challenge can, for example, include evidence that a member signed up twice, under two addresses. 

Campaigns can also flag members that need to be added to the list if they were purged because they have, for example, the same name as another member.

WATCH | Power Panel: Conservative leadership race membership list released

Roughly 6,500 sign-ups have already been flagged as non-compliant, meaning they didn't follow party or Elections Canada rules.

A party official speaking on background said a majority of the non-compliant sign-ups were dropped because they had been paid for by someone other than the member. The official said the number of non-compliant sign ups is in line with what the party has seen in past leadership races.

The party won't release information on how many members were signed up through individual campaigns, but a source on background said a majority of members were signed up online, including candidate web sites and the party's own web portal.

Releasing the preliminary list allows all of the campaigns to phone or email party members to try and bring them over to their side.

The list may also help Brown decide on his future in the race. He told CBC News on Wenesday that he's considering a run for re-election in Brampton if it seems he's going to lose to Conservative Leadership candidate Pierre Poilievre in the September.