The party had planned to do so with an event in Ottawa on Saturday, but the monarch’s death now means the country will be in mourning during that time. The chairman of the party’s leadership election organizing committee said in a statement on Thursday that the party would respect the protocols surrounding her death. Ian Brodie said the committee was “considering an appropriate and respectful way” to announce the results of the match and would give an update early on Friday.

		Read more: Queen Elizabeth II, longest-reigning monarch in British history, dies aged 96 		
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			Queen Elizabeth II, longest-reigning monarch in British history, dies aged 96

The party had already booked space at a convention center in downtown Ottawa, sold tickets for $150 and lined up a lineup of speakers for the event, including former cabinet minister and 2020 leadership contender Peter Mackay as a special guest. Story continues below ad Party, members of parliament and people in different campaigns had planned to arrive in Ottawa to attend the event. Trending Stories

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On Thursday, the party also began the process of putting 400,000 ballots into counting machines to prepare for the expected announcement of results on Saturday. This is the second time the Conservative Party’s announcement of a new leader has needed tweaking. 5:54 Update on the Conservative leadership race Update on the Conservative leadership race The 2020 race that saw former leader Erin O’Toole win was interrupted by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing campaigns to cancel in-person rallies and abandon large crowds even as the results were announced. Going into this weekend, the party was celebrating the fact that nearly 418,000 party members had voted from a voter list of about 678,700 names. Story continues below ad He says such figures are a record in Canadian politics and show momentum behind the party, as tens of thousands of new members signed up. Longtime conservative member of parliament Pierre Poilievre said his campaign had sold more than 300,000 subscriptions, leading many in the party to believe he had the best chance to win the contest on his central “Freedom” message. Poilievre and other candidates in the race took to social media after the news of the Queen’s death on Thursday to express their condolences. © 2022 The Canadian Press