Rona Ambrose shops for sealskin, meets with Paul Davis in St. John's

The leader of the Conservative Party of Canada made a quiet stop in St. John's this weekend.

Interim party leader Rona Ambrose came to town this week for a series of meetings, including one with Progressive Conservative leader Paul Davis.

The last time a federal Conservative leader visited the province was last fall, when Stephen Harper attended a private rally during the election campaign. Before that, Harper had not visited the province since 2012.

Ambrose's trip to Newfoundland did not include much fanfare. She tweeted about her activities once she was here, but did not make any formal announcements.

As part of her itinerary, Ambrose met with the Newfoundland and Labrador Oil and Gas Industries Association, and held an event with a group of young Conservatives at Ches's Fish and Chips.

Ambrose also met with former Lt.-Gov. John Crosbie, who apparently was a fan of her new sealskin purchases.

The Conservative leader seemed to be fond of Newfoundland's sealskin products — Ambrose bought a pair of boots, and a pair of shoes at Always in Vogue.

The interim leader also made a surprise visit to Big Ben's Pub in Churchill Square, where she chatted and took photos with the public.

Ambrose got the full Newfoundland experience while in St. John's. On Saturday night she stopped by Christian's Bar on George Street to get screeched in. She also tweeted about trying the Newfoundland-exclusive beverage, Pineapple Crush.

She was accompanied on the trip by staff members and a professional personal photographer.

Ambrose has been interim leader of the Conservative Party of Canada since November 2015, after defeated prime minister Stephen Harper resigned.