Conservatives meet in Halifax to begin 'performance review' of Trudeau's Liberals

With nowhere to go but up in Atlantic Canada, ConservativeMPs and senators are gathering in Halifax for two days of caucus meetings to prepare for next week's return of Parliament.

Interim leader Rona Ambrose entered the room Tuesday morning to a standing ovation from her team.

"Everywhere I went this summer," she said, "the feedback I got was the same: we like what you guys are doing and we want to see more of it."

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The party's political comeback from the "goose egg" of Tory seats the region returned in last fall's federal electionmust nowhappenwithout Nova Scotia'sfavourite political son. PeterMacKayannounced late Mondayhe won't be returning to political life to seek the party's nowvacant leadership.

With MacKayout, other contenders can use the meetings today and tomorrowto reach out to potential donors and supporters in the region essential workthe party has to doas well, to compensate for its lack of regional MPs.

A $100-per-ticket party fundraiser is set for Halifax Tuesday night,featuringAmbrose as well as a who's who of leadership contenders and pretenders seeking to make inroads in the now wide-open field.

"We are here for a reason," Ambrose said in her opening remarks. "We're here to earn back the confidence of Atlantic Canadians," citing good-paying jobs, Atlantic Canada'sseat on the Supreme Court, and the Energy East pipeline on a list of things her party would be fighting for this fall.

'A job is a job'

"The economy is in trouble," the interim leadersaid, sampling recent business news headlines, but "what is Justin Trudeau's priority?"

Vacation selfies, a few of her MPs called out from the crowd.

"That's not what I was going to say," she joked.

"Finding new ways to spend your money and raise your taxes," she continued, vowing that her party would be the voice of "ordinary working people."

"We need to stand up for all job creators," she said later in her speech. "A job is a job whether it's fashionable or not," she said, a line that brought the room to its feet.

"The challenges we face here are different," said defeated Nova Scotia MP Scott Armstrong, who was asked to serve as the party's Atlantic Canadacritic despite no longer having a seat.

Armstrong said the region's unique employment challenges arean example of why the former government's focus on local economic stimulus through things like its shipbuilding strategy was so important.

A group of up to 50 parliamentarians are set to tour Irving Shipyards on Thursdayto learn more about the work Stephen Harper's former government set in motionto not only equip the military but revive the industry.

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Several of the party's critics have otherlocal tours and meetings planned this week to learn more about local industries and First Nations.

Cultivating the East

The caucus's roots in the region range from rather deep Alberta MP ShannonStubbs'sgrandmother was the mayor of Dartmouth, N.S., in the '70s to non-existent,in the case of Ontariorookie MP AlexNuttall, who saidhe'd never been to the Maritimes.

The caucusincludes about a dozen Atlantic senators. Ambrose thanked them for their work while the Tories were "short-handed" in the Commons.

Former cabinet minister and possible leadership contenderErin O'Toole, who has personal and professional ties to Atlantic Canada despite representing an Ontario riding, saidthe decision to meet herewas unanimous among his colleagues.

'I've had many people in my riding saying 'tell [Trudeau] to put his shirt back on.'- MP Karen Vecchio

"Lisa [Raitt] lobbied hard for Sydney,"O'Toolesaid. (Raittis originally from andlast week returned to get married in Cape Breton.)

But being in a regional hub like Halifax allows MPs to meet more local players, including Progressive Conservative leaders from all four Atlantic provinces, who will joina roundtable discussionTuesday afternoon onEastern Canada's political and economic landscape.

Conservatives don't govern provincially anywhere in the region. While the federal and provincial parties haven't always collaborated,Ambrose said Tuesday she's "proud to stand alongside them."

"Atlantic Canada is taken for granted by the Liberals quite regularly," O'Toole said, citing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's decision not to have one of his Atlantic MPs serve as minister for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agencyas evidence.

After Jean Chrtien'sLiberalsswept the region in 1993, the dominance didn't last, he noted, with more NDP and Progressive Conservative MPs elected in 1997. Conservatives hope that history repeats.

"We're here to help," Raittsaid. "We're Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition, not just the opposition from the other 98 or 99 constituencies," she said, referring to the Conservative election result inother parts of Canada.

Performance review time

One year on from their election defeat, Conservatives have struggled to put a dent in the popularity of the Trudeau government. But they believe the way to start doing that is to critiquethe cabinet'sperformance.

"If there's one benefit that came out of making these mandate letters of the ministers public, it's that now we can measure against them," Raitt said.

Work begins this week to figure out how tocapitalize when questions start aboutwhether Liberals have kept theirpromises.

"Spoiler alert: I don't think they have," she said. "But it's for us to document, show and discuss with the Canadian public."

"We've seen a prime minister who's been out in the public for the last 3months, but hasn't been doing any policy, work," the Southwestern Ontario MP Karen Vecchiosaid.

"I've had many people in my riding saying, 'Tell him to put his shirt back on. He's acting like a Kardashian.'"

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