HALIFAX – Nova Scotia Conservatives will have a new leader in just more than a year.
The party announced Monday it will hold a leadership convention Oct. 29-30, 2010, at the Cunard Centre in Halifax.
Each of the 52 constituencies will be able to send 50 delegates.
Ex-officio members including members of the legislature, candidates, constituency presidents and executive members can also be delegates.
Rob Batherson, the party’s executive vice-president, said the party had also looked at holding the convention in early 2011, but settled on next year.
He said interim leader Karen Casey is doing a good job, as is the caucus, but the third-place party has some work to do.
“Make no mistake, there’s a long road ahead to rebuild the party so it’s important that we get a permanent elected leader in place who will then be able to focus our rebuilding efforts as a party,” he said.
The Conservatives lost their minority government in the June election, winning just 10 of 52 seats and 24.6 per cent of the popular vote.
Rodney MacDonald stepped down as leader later that month, and resigned his Inverness seat in September. Earlier in September, former deputy premier Angus MacIsaac resigned in Antigonish.
The party appears to have held on to Inverness in last week’s byelection with Allan MacMaster’s 50-vote win. The Liberals, who came second, have asked for a recount.
But the NDP won the Antigonish byelection, leaving the Tories with nine seats in the legislature.
Casey said she’ll continue talking to Nova Scotians and working to rebuild the party over the next year
“Hopefully the results of my tour and what people are saying to me will be good information for me to pass on to the new leader,” she said.
Casey said she’s still considering a run at the permanent position, though the party’s constitution says the interim leader must remain neutral during a leadership contest.
“It’s inappropriate right now for me to make a statement about that,” she said.
Casey expects she’ll be ready to make her decision public in May.
Other potential candidates include Credit Union Atlantic president Jamie Baillie, former leadership candidates Bill Black and Neil LeBlanc, and Argyle member Chris d’Entremont.