OTTAWA - The Conservative leadership race is underway and the deadline to register as a candidate and meet the first round of requirements is Feb. 27.
Three candidates have officially declared they will enter:
— Marilyn Gladu: Conservative MP for Ontario riding of Sarnia-Lambton, formerly a professional engineer.
— Peter MacKay: former Progressive Conservative leader, Conservative cabinet minister and longtime MP from Nova Scotia, who now lives in Toronto.
— Aron Seal: former director of policy for two Conservative cabinet ministers.
Others, in alphabetical order, who are considering bids:
— Rona Ambrose: former interim leader of the Conservative party and MP from an Edmonton-area riding.
— Michael Chong: former Conservative cabinet minister, current MP for Ontario riding of Wellington-Halton Hills. Ran in the 2017 race.
— Richard Decarie: political aide under former Conservative leader Stephen Harper while in opposition, helped run Harper's Quebec operations.
— Michelle Rempel Garner: Conservative MP for the riding of Calgary Nose Hill.
— Vincent Guzzo: movie-theatre mogul from Quebec who also stars in the reality-TV program "Dragons' Den."
— Rudy Husny: longtime Quebec operative for the Conservative party, and businessman.
— Erin O'Toole: former Conservative cabinet minister and current MP from the Toronto-area riding of Durham. Ran in the 2017 race.
— Pierre Poilievre: former Conservative cabinet minister and current MP from the Ottawa-area riding of Carleton.