The day after the results of a Progressive Conservative party vote cleared the way for a merger with the Canadian Alliance, Calgary businessman Jim Prentice was first to announce his ambition for the new party's top job.

CTV.ca News Staff

The day after the results of a Progressive Conservative party vote cleared the way for a merger with the Canadian Alliance, Calgary businessman Jim Prentice was first to announce his ambition for the new party's top job.

"My intent is to seek the leadership of this new party," Prentice told CTV's Question period on Sunday.

"I think Canadians want to see leadership, they want to see change, and I intend to bring both to Canadian politics."

Prentice said he's already got finances lined up and an organizational team working across Canada. And in the days ahead, he plans to continue shoring up his support ahead of an official announcement early in 2004.

"I'm not launching a campaign at this point, but I will continue over the month of December to assemble that team, and launch in January."

A Calgary businessman, and longtime veteran of the Progressive Conservative Party backrooms, Prentice believes he's got what it takes to lead the new party.

"What this party needs to be is big enough and broad enough to encompass on the one hand social conservatives, and on the other hand red Tories," he said, suggesting he could play the role of "bridging candidate."

"A candidate that can reach out to people in (both parties) ... I think that's the key to this whole leadership race, and it's the key to winability."

Prentice, who has never held elected office, ran second at the last Tory leadership convention.

He lost on the fourth ballot, after Peter MacKay struck a contentious deal the third-place merger opponent David Orchard.

As part of that deal, MacKay insisted he was not the "merger candidate" and wouldn't pursue such talks with the Alliance.

As for the widely touted ease with which Alliance leader Stephen Harper is expected to assume the leadership of the new merged party, Prentice remains undaunted.

"I don't think anyone has this wrapped up -- this is not going to be a coronation," Prentice said.

"It's going to be a very, very exciting leadership race."

For his part, Harper told Question Period he is yet to make a "final decision" on his own plans for the new party's top job.

"I've obviously been building a leadership campaign from the alliance side. I have to take a few days to see what we can do on the other side to make sure we can build a united team."

In the meantime, the Alliance leader is discounting comparisons between Paul Martin's sweep of the Liberal Party, and the perception the Conservative Party leadership is his for the taking.

"Let's make clear what the difference is," Harper said.

"If this leadership ends up being not a tight race it will be because a consensus developed. It's not because we banned membership sales the way Paul Martin did in the early phases of his leadership race."

MacKay was equally coy in remarks about pursuing the new party leadership.

"There is no reason not to do it," he told Question Period.

"I think there has to be a leadership contest. I'm seriously considering entering into this race, and it's something I'll decide in the very near future."