Reform Party founder Preston Manning says leadership is a crucial part of harnessing populist movements and preventing them from becoming dangerous.

"Populism is like a wildcat — or a rogue oil or gas well — where there's so much pressure from the bottom, it blows the platform, it blows oil all over the place. It could catch fire, it could be a very dangerous type of thing," Manning told Rosemary Barton, host of CBC News Network's Power & Politics.

Manning said the best way to deal with a rogue well is to drill a relief line, which has to be deep enough to release pressure but not so deep that it blows up itself.

"I think that's the challenge for, particularly, the Conservative Party. Can they tap into that unrest in such a way that it reduces pressure but not to get blown away by it?"

Manning said Conservative leadership candidates are trying to figure out how to tap into that very populism and unrest.

"Leadership can make it positive, leadership can make it negative," Manning said.

He added that U.S. President Donald Trump has made it difficult to address legitimate populist concerns with "the eccentricities and repugnant features of how he does it."

Manning is in Ottawa this week for the Manning Centre Conference from Feb. 23 to 25. The conference is hosting a Conservative leadership debate along with panels on the future of Canada's conservative movement.

Discussion topics include radical Islam in Canada, millennial attitudes and a panel on anti-establishment politics that includes former Toronto councillor and mayoral candidate Doug Ford.

The Manning Centre debate will divide the field of 14 Conservative leadership hopefuls into four groups to allow for longer answers and more exchanges between candidates.