Should he stay or should he go? Future of Paul Davis a hot topic for Tories

As he re-opens the door to a run at the Progressive Conservative leadership, Paul Davis says people from all across Newfoundland and Labrador are urging him to stay on.

• Paul Davis not ready to leave? 'I've agreed to keep that door open,' says PC leader

Davis announced last October that he would quit as leader of the opposition party, in an effort to stop "divisions" from growing inside the PC ranks. He said he would stay on until a new leader is picked.

The mood of some supporters at the party's special meeting in Gander is considerably more mixed.

"I think it does look bad, it says to me he's only going the way the wind is blowing," said Ernest Snooks, a Tory supporter who puts himself in potential leadership candidate Steve Kent's camp.

This week, though, the PC Leader has put his own future in question, and now says he has not ruled out running in a leadership convention that he personally requested last year.

"It comes out to me, honestly, he's not a man of his word," said Snooks. "It doesn't seem to me like he was honest and sincere about it. It's almost like he was playing a game. And that, to me, damages the leadership race."

"I'm not sure if he will be going forward again," added Agnes Richard, a 40-year veteran of the party. "But if he does, he takes his chances, just like the rest of them."

No promises

Davis said following his opening remarks at the weekend's meeting in Gander that he's had an outpouring of support in his recent visits across the province.

"I'm very thankful, I'm humbled by the responses I've received," he said.

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Still, he isn't making them any promises that he will run again, and said he has no campaign operation in place and hasn't started to create one.

I think quite a few people would think that he needs to make his mind up.- Ches Crosbie, potential PC leadership candidate

"I've also said to them was that, OK, I won't completely close the door on what's going to happen," he said.  "And until we get further along in the process, I won't make that final decision.

"What will happen is, the party will set a date where people must find their nomination to be a leadership candidate, so sometime between now and that date I'll finalize that decision."

If he is reconsidering, Davis said that's not a comment on his satisfaction of two others — Ches Crosbie and Steve Kent — who have said they are considering their own campaigns.

Crosbie suggested that if Davis does run again, he should step down as the current leader of the party.

"I think quite a few people would think that he needs to make his mind up," Crosbie said.

"Is he going to be the opposition leader, which is a very demanding post, or is he going to devote his time and attention to being a contestant in a contest? … I think that's more than most people would be able to handle."

Rules, date set

A new approach to the leadership contest, which will take place April 27–29,  was decided on Saturday.

The PCs are ditching their delegated convention set-up, and instead will allow every member and supporter of their party a chance to vote in the upcoming leadership race.

It will be run on a preferential ballot system, where ballots will be mailed in from across the province. Each riding will have 100 points, which will be apportioned among the candidates. Whomever gets more than 50 per cent of the points will win.

Two efforts to move up the convention's date failed — one failed to garner support of 50 per cent of delegates, while another was blocked by the rules committee.

That means a 10-month long leadership race is ahead. Both Crosbie and Kent said they would have preferred a quicker timeline.