Following rumblings of an announcement late yesterday (January 17), businessman and reality television personality Kevin O'Leary has officially joined the race to lead the Conservative Party of Canada.
O'Leary took to Facebook to make the announcement early this morning before a day of interviews in Toronto. "It's official, I'm in," he wrote in the post. "The Conservative Party of Canada needs a candidate who can beat Justin Trudeau and bring back jobs to this country!"
The Toronto Star reports that one of his first came on CTV's Your Morning, where he looked to drum up support for his forthcoming campaign. "We need a leader in the Conservative Party who can beat Trudeau, and that means I need to expand the base of the Conservative Party," he told the show.
O'Leary has long appeared on shows like CBC's Dragon's Den, its American equivalent in Shark Tank and other television programs. Nicknamed Mr. Wonderful, he was always something of a villain on these shows.
Still, O'Leary said his past comments and appearances onscreen "don't mean anything" because "they're not policy." The Star reports that his campaign will target 18- to 35-year-old demographic that he believes are "still in their parents' basements looking at the ceiling [with] no jobs."
A statement on O'Leary's website also makes mention of United States president-elect Donald Trump and the effect that his election could have on Canada's economy.
"With the election of Donald Trump to our south, Canada's largest trading partner is headed by a businessman with an aggressive strategy that could hurt the Canadian economy. Trudeau doesn't stand a chance, and we deserve better," the statement read.
He continued: "Canadians are looking for a prime minister who is not a career politician; a prime minister who will fight for them, and is not afraid to tell them how it is. They also want a prime minister who will be inclusive and not lower themselves to use divisive politics."
The Conservative party will choose their leader in Toronto this May.
O'Leary took to Facebook to make the announcement early this morning before a day of interviews in Toronto. "It's official, I'm in," he wrote in the post. "The Conservative Party of Canada needs a candidate who can beat Justin Trudeau and bring back jobs to this country!"
The Toronto Star reports that one of his first came on CTV's Your Morning, where he looked to drum up support for his forthcoming campaign. "We need a leader in the Conservative Party who can beat Trudeau, and that means I need to expand the base of the Conservative Party," he told the show.
O'Leary has long appeared on shows like CBC's Dragon's Den, its American equivalent in Shark Tank and other television programs. Nicknamed Mr. Wonderful, he was always something of a villain on these shows.
Still, O'Leary said his past comments and appearances onscreen "don't mean anything" because "they're not policy." The Star reports that his campaign will target 18- to 35-year-old demographic that he believes are "still in their parents' basements looking at the ceiling [with] no jobs."
A statement on O'Leary's website also makes mention of United States president-elect Donald Trump and the effect that his election could have on Canada's economy.
"With the election of Donald Trump to our south, Canada's largest trading partner is headed by a businessman with an aggressive strategy that could hurt the Canadian economy. Trudeau doesn't stand a chance, and we deserve better," the statement read.
He continued: "Canadians are looking for a prime minister who is not a career politician; a prime minister who will fight for them, and is not afraid to tell them how it is. They also want a prime minister who will be inclusive and not lower themselves to use divisive politics."
The Conservative party will choose their leader in Toronto this May.
