Local Conservatives get ready to rank federal leadership candidates

Carol Trudell is taking her vote for the next federal Conservative leader very seriously.

The 19-year-old has done her research. She has used websites like ICanParty.ca to get an overview of the candidates. She's listened to the debates. She's read the policy statements. She's even listened to a few of the candidates speak in person.

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The third-year University of Waterloo legal studies student – and the director of membership for the UW Conservatives – said choosing a leader now is about her future.

The economy is a top priority, she said, both for her and for other Conservatives.

"It's very important to me, especially when I see the deficits our current federal Liberal government is running," she told Craig Norris on The Morning Edition.

"It's not just about me, it's becoming about my kids, it's becoming about what possible future jobs that I could have here in this country, and it's becoming about the livelihood of perhaps my grandkids as well."

Why millennials should care

Trudell admitted there are other university and college students who aren't thinking so far in the future, but she argued the current decisions by the Liberal government affect her now. Cutting tax credits for transportation hits millennials in the pocketbook, she said.

"It's always important to care," she said.

"One of the best aspects of citizenship is having the right to vote, having the right to free speech, having the right to freedom of religion and having that opportunity to express ourselves," she said. "When we vote, we let people know how we feel."

Hope new members take an interest

Prior to the March 28 deadline, there were campaigns to get people to join the Conservative Party to vote for certain candidates. Former candidate Kevin O'Leary was accused of trying to round up supporters.

Others, like Ryan McGreal of Hamilton, joined up to support more moderate candidates like Michael Chong.

"I feel like I'm trying to do my own part in a small way, in saving the Conservatives from being hijacked by extremists," McGreal told CBC News. "We can't afford the luxury of letting extremists take over any of our federal parties."

Trudell said she supports this kind of practice – that it's just another way to be involved in democracy.

"Any exercise of free speech that isn't hate speech – which is obviously illegal – is a good one," she said.

"We would hope that those people who take an interest in a particular candidate will perhaps stay on board, perhaps hear another point of view from the eventual winner."

Leader to be chosen May 27

Ranked ballots have been mailed out to the nearly 260,000 eligible party members. Each ballot asks a member to rank up to 10 candidates in order of preference.

The leadership convention will be held on May 26 and 27, and a new leader will be decided by the last day.

Trudell said she knows who will be ranked at the top of her ballot: Maxime Bernier.

Trudell said she is a libertarian and he fits with her outlook for the party.

"He self-identifies as a libertarian politician and I think that's a very bold move and I definitely appreciate that," she said. "I feel like he's really giving us a voice."

But, she acknowledge, with a ranked ballot, you never know who will win.