Like U.S. President Donald Trump, federal Conservative leadership hopeful Kevin O’Leary is a reality TV star and self-described political outsider who wants to govern like a CEO. However, O’Leary said that’s where the comparison ends.
“I see similarities. Clearly, both of us received a lot of notoriety in our massive social media database and reality TV, but that’s where it ends. I am an immigrant of a Lebanese mother and Irish father. My policies won’t be his in terms of inclusiveness,” O’Leary told the Times Colonist during a visit to Victoria on Friday.
O’Leary said Canada needs immigration, but he prefers to bring in highly-skilled immigrants over those needing social assistance. O’Leary spent the morning speaking to party members at the Hotel Grand Pacific in Victoria before heading up to Nanaimo.
The businessman, who has starred on Shark Tank and Dragon’s Den, positioned himself as a tough negotiator who would stand up to America’s unpredictable leader. Trump has taken aim at Canada’s dairy industry and threatened to rip up the North American Free Trade Agreement.
“I think Canadians are going to have to decide who they want negotiating for them, Bambi or me,” O’Leary said, his jab consistent with his portrayal of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as too young and too weak.
“I think I’ll be a better negotiator than Trudeau by miles because he’s never run a business.”
O’Leary said Canada is rich in natural resources, but we’ve done a poor job getting those lucrative resources to market. He pointed to the fact that Canada still imports billions of dollars worth of crude oil from Saudi Arabia and other major oil producers as a failure to refine our own product.
He dismissed environmental concerns when it comes to exporting Canada’s oil supply, saying better technology has made pipelines and oil tankers a safe mode of transport.
“At some point you have to realize the risk is diminished dramatically from what it was 25 years ago. Double-hulled systems, GPS technology, fibre- optic technology, we are able to do this in a way that's far less risky.”
O’Leary hates the carbon tax and said if he was in charge, no province would be able to impose one. “I wouldn’t tolerate a provincial tax on carbon. I would be deducting that from federal equalization payments. I'm not going to allow carbon taxes in any province.”
O’Leary also took aim at Trudeau’s ability to attract foreign investment, saying the country needs to diversify its revenue sources by courting China and India.
“When Trudeau went to China, they blew him off like a bad version of Dragon’s Den. They didn’t give him anything because they know he couldn’t keep his promise on their big investment in energy. And they’re not going to [invest] any more here unless they start to see some cooperation.”
O’Leary calls himself a conservative expansionist and said he’s responsible for attracting more young people to the Conservative party.
Chris Ashforth, 26, a Saanich resident, said he voted NDP in the last federal election, but is considering supporting the Conservatives if O’Leary clinches the leadership. Ashforth said he supports free speech, regardless of whether some minority groups might find it offensive.
O’Leary is considered to be among the frontrunners in the Conservative leadership race. Party members are scheduled to vote on May 27.
