Canadian businessman and TV personality Kevin O'Leary says it makes no sense for him to launch a potential bid for leadership of the Conservative Party, as he'd rather keep "all options open" for now, including the possibility of backing another contender.
The chair of O’Leary Financial Group and Bell Media on-air contributor has been flirting with a potential leadership bid for months, but he has yet to throw his hat in the ring with the likes of Michael Chong, Kellie Leitch and Maxime Bernier. O'Leary told CTV's Question Period that his focus remains on affecting fiscal and economic policies, and he wants to do that in the most effective way possible.
"Do I have to be prime minister to do that? Maybe not," he said, adding that he's also open to playing a sort of kingmaker to another candidate. "Maybe I take a different role. Maybe I back some other constituent here that may emerge that I happen to like, help them become leader, and take an important role in helping craft economic and fiscal policy."
O'Leary said he reaches an estimated 2 million Canadians through his television appearances each week, and his poll numbers are strong, so he doesn't need to get a leadership campaign started to drum up interest in his candidacy. "There's absolutely no advantage for me to do that now. I don't need that much time to set up my infrastructure," he said. "I have multiple options."
He targeted the period between October and January as the most likely time for him to declare a leadership bid, if he chooses to do so. However, O'Leary said he likes his undeclared position at the moment, which he says allows him to remain a "vocal critic" who will "shine the light of transparency" on the existing federal and provincial governments. "Above all, I'm a Canadian and a taxpayer, and I'm really pissed off," he said.
O'Leary harshly criticized the NDP government in Alberta and the Liberal government in Ontario. He suggested the Ontario government's policies are "failing miserably and are not transparent," adding that job creation has been "horrible" in the province. He also took several shots at Alberta Premier Rachel Notley, saying her policies are "bankrupt," and that she has been "completely incompetent in dealing with the energy sector."
"There's no more capital from the world coming into Alberta," he added, saying that Notley has put the province "at its knees."
He also condemned the federal government's fiscal policies as "broken."
"I think we waste a lot of money. I think our policies are inept and incompetent. Many people that are running politics around the financial decisions have never run a business. They've never made payroll," he said.
The businessman went on to say he'd run the country based on promoting a strong economy through employing young people.
"All the benefits that we enjoy in Canada stem from a strong economy, a growing economy – one that employs our young cohorts, our graduates," he said. "We don't have that right now. I'm going to fix that, and once I fix that, everything else will fall into place. It's that simple."
Some have drawn parallels between O'Leary and U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, but O'Leary says the comparisons fall short. The two men have both achieved success on reality television, but beyond that, they're quite different, he says.
"I'm not building any walls around here. I'm very inclusive and liberal in my nature," O'Leary said, adding that there are a "different set of pressures at play" in Canada than there are in the U.S.
When pressed to comment on his views on the environment, O'Leary pointed out that he graduated from an environmental studies program at the University of Waterloo in 1977, before adding that he is "very in tune" with Canadians' views on the issue, particularly among young people. He was also optimistic that the Conservative Party will embrace more environmentally conscious policies going forward.
"This party is going to get involved in the discussion around carbon taxation in a much more progressive and forward way, I guarantee you that, whether I get involved or not," O'Leary said.
