3 challenges on Conservative minds as caucus gathers in Quebec City

Break's over, Conservatives.

Interim leader Rona Ambrose kicks offa two-day strategy session for MPs and senators today in Quebec City achance torefocus minds ahead of Parliament's return next Monday.

Beyond the usual update briefings, thediscussions may wrestlewith three fundamental questions.

How to oppose Trudeau without talking down Canada?

Donald Trump's inauguration bringsa more inward-looking, protectionist and skeptical southern neighbour.

Justin Trudeauretooled his cabinet inresponse.

• Ex-army commander Leslie to play key rolewith Americans

Former Progressive Conservative prime minister Brian Mulroney and other past advisers were recruitedto reach out.

"They're late to the game," said Saskatchewan MP Randy Hoback."I think they were in shock to see Donald Trump elected. I think they didn't know how to react."

A Trump adviser may have provided some reassurance to cabinet that Canada isn't anintended target.

But"there's lots of things that have been said in the last few days that still bringon more anxiety," saidthe Conservative critic forCanada-U.S. relations, whojoined Ambrose in Washington, D.C., last week.

"We've got to do what we can to make sure that border stays open,"Hobacksaid, noting his party's relationships with Republicans.

"This is something that's beyondpolitics. This is non-partisan," he said.

• Trump's win 'changes everything':Ambrose

Last fall, Ambrose said Canada had weakened itsposition by being too quick to agree to renegotiatethe North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA.)

On Wednesday, she said Trudeau wasn't demonstrating what he was going to do to defend jobs in the face of uncertainty over NAFTA's future.

Can Conservatives effectively criticizethings like Liberalcarbon pricing policy now apparentlyon a collision course with the new administration's viewswithout undermining Canada internationally at a sensitive time?

• 'Complete insanity' to pursue carbon tax now that Trump will be president, Ambrose says

Or consider Canada's pursuit offreer trade with China.

Conservatives championed it when in government, but concerns about large trade deficits with Asia existnorth of the border too. How will CanadianConservatives handle any resurgent trade skepticismin their ranks?

Trump may not be "front and centre" on this week's caucus agenda, but the new U.S. administration is definitely part of "the coffee conversation," Hoback said.

How to keep competing teamsunited?

In four months, Conservatives will have a new leader.

Competing fundraising pitches are underwayand endorsements are rollingoutfrom 14 rival candidatecamps.

The race nowhas a household name: businessman and television personality Kevin O'Leary.

"He sure adds a new dimension," said Ontario MP Karen Vecchio, who said she's been approached in grocery stores by people who aren't normally very engaged but find him exciting.

"It does add that spark to our campaign. That's not bad for us," she said.

But O'Leary's arrival waspanned by his competitors. Lisa Raittlaunched a website to organize against him. Brad Trost called him a chicken for not joining in time for the French debate.

Vecchio supportsErin O'Toole in the race and shares his viewthat the party must stay united.

"Our final goal is not about who wins the leadership. It's about who wins the election in 2019," she said.

Withmore MPs running or working on campaigns, it's harderfor Ambrose to maintain bench strength ofeffectivecritics.

Competitive leadership contests feature healthy policy debates. But they can also confuse voters about what the party stands for.

This race includes candidates like Michael Chong (who championsa carbon tax proposal), Rick Peterson (who wants to re-raisethe GST) andMaxime Bernier (whose platform diverges in several ways from official party policy, including advocating an end to agriculture'ssupply-management system.)

Ambrose says they're welcome to keep raising these issues. But her approach as interim leader continues to prioritizethingsmost Conservatives agree on:focusing on jobs and theeconomy, advocatingfor Canadian taxpayers and criticizing Liberal spending plans leading up to another budget in which big deficits are expected.

"A lot of people feel that the current government is not taking care of their livelihood," she said at a news conference ahead of the caucus meeting. "There's a lot of work for the opposition to do."

Vecchio says community safety issues like the Liberal government's approach to marijuana legalization and supervisedinjection sites and the sputtering electoral reform fileare also hot topics in Conservative constituencies.

• Liberal survey on voting reform delivers conflicting messages

How to hold and expand recent gains in Quebec?

Conservatives hitQuebec City only a week agofor the party's official French leadership debate. Now they're back again.

It's deliberate, local MP Grard Deltell said.

"This is a way to say thank youto Quebec City people and a way to say we are serious when we talk about Quebec," he said, touting the success of last week's debate which drew a crowd of 400 to 500. "We are stronger than expected."

Quebec was the only province where Stephen Harper won more seatsin 2015.But thatsupport isn't provincewide: it'sclustered on the North Shore and in Quebec City itself.

Ambrose told reportersWednesday her party was resonating with a solid base of people, particularly in Quebec City, and she was proud ofher12 MPs forfighting for Quebec's interests against "a Liberal government that does not see this region as a priority."

Bernier, from the nearbyBeauce region, may be the leadership front-runner. But it's equally possible the next leader could be O'Leary, who skipped the debate "out of respect," given his poor French.

While candidates with weak French have pledged to improve, last week theirFrench skillswere put "under the microscope," Deltell said. "The real race is on now."