POSITIVE TEST — "I’ll be campaigning from home for the next few days," tweeted JEAN CHAREST, who was suffering mild symptoms four days after his Calgary campaign launch. COUNTERATTACKS — One man's nasty spat is another man's simple crystallization of policy differences. Call PATRICK BROWN and PIERRE POILIEVRE's online tangles whatever you want. They're raising the stakes on what the Tory leadership race is all about. The last two Conservative leadership contests weren't exactly kumbaya, but Public Enemy No. 1 was always JUSTIN TRUDEAU . He's barely part of the conversation this week. "If this Conservative leadership race is going to be a battle for the soul of the party, we should fight the real reasons why our party hasn’t won in over a decade," Brown tweeted Monday. "Pierre Poilievre asked for a fight. He’s got one." Poilievre had already drawn Sunday with an attack first shared by JENNI BYRNE. Brown's first anti-Poilievre wedge? Religious freedom, a key plank in his appeal to thousands of potential party members in Sikh, Hindu and Muslim communities. "We will proudly lean into it. And we will win," Brown says. The Brampton mayor attacked the Ottawa MP for never turning his back on a late Harper-era policy of banning the wearing of niqabs at citizenship ceremonies. Poilievre denied there was ever a ban, and called Brown a liar. Brown pointed out that Poilievre campaign co-chair TIM UPPAL and MP MELISSA LANTSMAN have both since retracted support for the niqab policy. The National Council of Canadian Muslims sided with Brown, too. Phew. Still with us? — A little bit of mischief: Poilievre's camp registered his website, pierre4pm.ca, on Feb. 1 — one day before ERIN O'TOOLE was removed as leader. Someone on the internet registered the almost-identical-but-not pierreforpm.ca the very same day. That site now redirects to a CBC story from 2008 when Poilievre apologized for remarks about the work ethic of Indigenous people. Nasty spat or crystallization of differences? You decide. HARPER V BROWN — There's history here. Brown is famously an acolyte of JEAN CHAREST, tracing back to Charest's time as federal Progressive Conservative leader at the height of Canada's national unity crisis in the '90s. Brown and Poilievre both later sat in STEPHEN HARPER's caucus. Brown was a forever backbencher — never elevated to so much as committee chair after nine years in the Commons. Poilievre was a parliamentary secretary for seven years, including three as Harper's parliamentary right hand. He spent two years in Cabinet. In his feisty 2018 memoir "Takedown," Brown explains the source of his poor relations with the PM. He says it was all about BELINDA STRONACH, Harper's leadership rival in 2004 whom Brown had supported. (As a young lad, Brown worked as a summer student at the Stronach family's Magna empire. Brown scored the internship after he was a finalist for the "As Prime Minister" essay-writing contest sponsored by the company. As it happens, Poilievre was a finalist in the same competition in a different year.) — In his own words: "Successful politicians have good memories. They remember faces, names and events. I believe Harper, a formidable politician, remembered my name, my face and Stronach's nomination event, despite what he may say now… And so, when I was elected to Ottawa, I wasn't part of the Harper group and I didn't get many opportunities. "I respected Harper and always felt he was brilliant. But we did not see eye to eye. I was more of a 'Red Tory' and I frankly didn't get why there were certain issues that the Harperites were so preoccupied with and opposed to, such as gay rights." LAUGHING ALL THE WAY TO THE BANK — Liberal Party HQ circulated a fundraising missive to supporters: "While they continue to double down on negative attacks and the politics of division, Liberals will stay focused on Canadians’ priorities and our positive plan to build a better Canada." The governing party is either referring to the Tories' approach to House debate or the internecine warfare across the aisle. For them, it's all gravy. Related reading on the Conservative campaign trail: — The Narwhal's EMMA MCINTOSH implores male journalists to not ignore the 2018 misconduct accusations against Brown that are still online in CTV's bombshell. — ÉRIC GRENIER: If Jean Charest has a path, he'll have to build it. — In Policy, LISA VAN DUSEN writes of Charest: “Repeating that he’s a Conservative as often as he can is not a substitute for an explanation of Charest’s Conservative-Liberal-Conservative trajectory and it only undermines the message of his career that there are times when principle comes before labels.” — On the Bad + Bitchy pod, ERICA IFILL and ERIN GEE commit to being the "one-stop shop" for a certain Tory leadership hopeful's content. "I can't wait until LESLYN LEWIS gets really into the mix," says Ifill. "I want to see how people are going to walk around this race issue." Listen. — GEOFF NORQUAY pens a memo at Earnscliffe with "a few pro tips" for Tories. — Neutral ground: Ontario MP SHELBY KRAMP-NEUMAN replaces ERIC DUNCAN on the Tories' leadership election organizing committee: "I am eager to continue to serve the Party, its members, and caucus in this important role, and look forward to working with the next Prime Minister of Canada in September."
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