Clement seeks to make jump from being virtual Tory leader to real one
OTTAWA — Former Conservative cabinet minister Tony Clement declared Tuesday that he’s running for the leadership of his party — but it’s not the first time he has pursued the job.
Clement tried in 2004 when the Canadian Alliance merged with the Progressive Conservatives to form the current Conservative party, but he finished third to Stephen Harper, who led the party until last fall.
This time, he’s already leading in one area that will be key to the party’s efforts to revitalize itself after last year’s election defeat: social media.
Clement was an early adopter in Tory circles of social media platforms and went on to shape and encourage the former Conservative government’s usage of such cutting-edge communications tools, earning the nickname “the minister for Twitter.”