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Make Canada Great Again
If Donald Trump can lead America, why can’t a “Shark” lead Canada? US audiences know Kevin O’Leary from his regular appearances on the popular ABC show “Shark Tank.” Entrepreneurs pitch their ideas to O’Leary and three other investors, hoping to gain capital and an influential business partner. While some of the other sharks encourage the struggling presenters and gently offer advice, O’Leary will torch ideas he finds stupid and undercut his fellow panelists at the last second, all the while wearing his Great White grin and calling himself “Mr. Wonderful.”
On Wednesday, O’Leary offered himself as a Conservative Party nominee to become Prime Minister of Canada, his home country. “Canada cannot afford another four years of Justin Trudeau,” O’Leary said. “I am a successful Canadian businessman with a great deal of international experience. I have seen first-hand Trudeau’s gross economic mismanagement, and the effect it is having on our country.”
A big reason O’Leary decided to run? America’s President-elect:
Now, 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.
Canadians need a Prime Minister with a smart plan to kick start the economy; a Prime Minister who supports small businesses, who will fight for hard working Canadians and will stop wasting our money. We need a Prime Minister who is focused on creating jobs.
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.
While he hasn’t amassed the fortune of Donald Trump, O’Leary’s net worth of $300 million shows he’s done very well for himself as a businessman. He founded SoftKey Software Solutions in the mid-1980s, focusing on educational and entertainment products. By the ’90s, he had acquired several rivals and rebranded his organization The Learning Company. Mattel purchased it in 1999, making O’Leary a multimillionaire.
He parlayed this success into regular guest appearances and eventually a hosting role for CBC, and ultimately “Shark Tank,” along with several best-selling books on financial literacy.
“I don’t have a money problem. I don’t have a name recognition problem,” O’Leary told an interviewer. “I want to do what’s right for the party: sell tens of thousands of memberships and then let them decide … who should carry the torch to Ottawa to perform the exorcism we need in this country in 2019 to rid the country of Justin Trudeau.”
The Conservative Party is offering 14 candidates in all and members will vote on their nominee May 27.
Published in General
I’m intrigued.
In case you think the immigration issue doesn’t resonate in Canada you’ll change your mind once you’ve seen this video.
Shark vs. Guppy Jr. (Trudeau); I’d take the Shark. He’s not just a TV guy, he’s pretty smart and knows how to market. Steve Harper is a good guy, but wouldn’t it be fun to hear O’Leary tell some loudmouth NDP’er “You’re dead to me” and sit down during PM’s questions? Now that’s good TV.
Here is how the rest of the field stands in terms of endorsements and fundraising:
http://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.3931211
Keep in mind that unlike a President, a Prime Minister is part of the legislative branch, meaning many of the defeated candidates (those who remain on as MPs) will probably end up in the caucus of the winner. In my opinion, jumping into the race halfway through is not the best starting point for a good relationship with the rest of the team.
Just great. All the lefty, liberal, canadian celebrities will promise to move to America if He wins.
Oh, wait… They’re already Here…
A marketing gimmick for Kevin O’Leary might be a toque (what we call a watch cap in The Great White North) emblazoned with “Make Canada Nice Again!”
It’ll be interesting in a few years when O’Leary is Prime Minister of Canada and Mark Cuban is the President of the USA!
No matter what, I hope Trudeau gets a chance to do his grieving for Fidel in private soon.
How is he on Twitter?
His chances of winning the conservative nomination are far longer than Trump’s. Canadian partisan politics are completely dominated by central Canadian establishment elites. Trudeau could run and win – even after a life that left him unprepared to manage a Cinnabon franchise – is that his families Rolodex (do they still make them?) is full of the Liberal establishment. Mr Wonderful is facing off 14 other candidates with much better connections in to the establishment.
This selection isn’t like USA primaries, only about 80 000, people will have the chance to vote, the “General Public” has no real connection to leadership races. There will be very limited media attention paid to this process (especially when compared to American primaries) some of the better known candidates, may get an interview – here and there – a few speeches may become the basis of media reports and panel discussions on some aspect of public policy. (naturally most – if not all – of these reports will be critical)
I think the candidate I am most interested in (and has a reasonable chance of success) is Kellie Leitch.
The big question is the format of the election. If only a plurality were required, O’Leary might have a chance in a field of 15 even if only party elites were voting.
According to Wikipedia:
Link:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservative_Party_of_Canada_leadership_election,_2017
How interesting it would be someday to see President Trump receiving Prime Minister O’Leary in the White House.
Trudeau is even worse than Obama, if such a thing is possible. It’s like they were grown in an agar-cruelty-free Petri dish to be the most business-unfriendly, politically-correct, bleeding-heart, progressively-authoritarian yet wussified leaders they could be.
Canadians named Kevin are just all-around fantastic people.
It’s a fact. It’s science.
Ugh. Seriously.
I am going too have to write a post about this.
Canada’s Prime Minister Wonderful could tell offending officials and dignitaries “you’re dead to me” claim their pet policies are “just a hobby” and “forbid” them from continuing.
I see no downside with this.
I wrote a full post about this at
http://ricochet.com/404278/canadian-leadership-race/
For those seriously interested in the topic.
Oh hooray. Another obnoxious reality TV personality.
It almost makes me miss the Rhinoceros Party.
Yeah, I was going to post some rebuttals about O’Leary’s chances, but then decided I’d just be repeating what I wrote in the other thread.
In short: O’Leary very much has a money problem, because the rules prohibit him from using his fortune to finance his campaign, and by announcing so late in the game he can only start fundraising now, while the other candidates have been fundraising for many months.
Oh sure. Crush our dreams with facts and logic.
Well, I personally think he’s actually playing the very long game. He’s looking towards the next leadership after the new leader gets his/her hat handed to ’em by The Dauphin in the 2019 general election. O’Leary wants to become Prime Minister in 2023, and this leadership race is merely his debut.
I mean, that’s the only scenario that makes sense to me anyways.
Hooray! The dream lives!
Of course, by then, other former MPs with actual ministerial experience who are currently off making real money in the private sector will be primed to make their triumphant return to electoral politics.
When did you stop missing the Rhinoceros Party?!
We need to still blast a hole through the rockies so Calgary can see the sea.
Actual promise of the Rhino party.
My favorite promise, was to repeal the law of gravity.
This scenario doesnt make sense. Canada doesnt throw away politicians after each election cycle. Stephan Harper, who left after loosing in 2015, was leader of the Conservatives since 2003 (and an MP since 1993). Another long cycle politician Trudeau (not that one, the old one) was leader of the Liberal Party from 1968 to 1984.
My point is that Kevin O’Leary is already 60 something – the next time a leadership spot opens up he’ll be in his mid-70s or 80s. Its this time or go home for Kevin.
The older Trudeaus history as Leader is a little bit weirder than you think.
Mainly because Joe Clark was not the best Conservative Leader we ever had.
I met Joe Clark once. Personally a very nice guy but a very red Tory, he was very much undermined by the conservative wing of the Progressive-Conservative Party.
My Joe Clark story —
I lived down-town when I first moved to Calgary. (this is about 25 years ago – “wow a you’re getting old when” moment) and I was walking down the street one day, 4th Ave and 5th St – (A kinda sketchy neighborhood – if you dont know Calgary) and Joe Clark is standing at the corner waiting for the lights to cross the street. I kinda did a double take – which amused Joe – So I stopped to talk with him for a minute until the light changed.