Mr. Charest, the race for the leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada boils down to one fundamental question: who is best placed to dislodge the federal Liberals in order to finally provide our country with a Prime Minister who will revive our economy and govern with aplomb under the conservative banner?
Posted yesterday at 12:00 p.m.
Your roadmap, even before becoming Premier of Quebec, was already very well stocked. Your 28 years of experience in active politics make you the perfect person to lead the Conservative Party and the Government of Canada.
Your determination is unfailing. The youngest minister in Canadian history at 28, you were a trusted minister to Prime Minister Mulroney. Your skill and versatility quickly led you to many prestigious positions on the federal scene as Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of the Environment, Deputy Leader of the Government, Minister of Physical Fitness and Amateur Sport, Minister of Youth and Deputy Speaker in the House of Commons. Mr. Mulroney has also entrusted you with key mandates from his government. One need only think of the role you played at the Rio Conference on the Environment. Your unifying leadership also made it possible, as leader of the Progressive Conservative Party, to increase the number of elected members in the House of Commons from two to twenty, demonstrating your effectiveness in a pan-Canadian campaign. In particular, you were the initiator of the creation of the Council of the Federation and the national leader of the provincial governments on the conclusion of the agreement on health which recognized, in favor of Quebec, the principle of asymmetrical federalism.
Your reputation in terms of international trade relations is second to none. The free trade agreement concluded between Canada and the European Union (CETA) was carried out under your leadership. Your vast network of contacts attests to your influence as well as the great respect shown to you by your peers, all over the world. You also have extensive experience in economic crisis management which would be very useful for Canada in this period of great uncertainty.
Clearly, no other Canadian has as extensive a track record as yours, in both the public and private sectors. You are tailor-made to cope with the exit from the crisis that we are currently going through with COVID-19.
Even more evident, your ability to run our country would make a huge contrast to the current Liberal government. Our country urgently needs an experienced leader like you to face major economic challenges. We need a seasoned statesman, visionary and unifier to curb the division and chaos caused by the federal Liberals. We need someone who is able to unite our party and rally a majority of Canadians, in both official languages.
Mr. Charest, Canada needs you! Justin Trudeau has led our country into a deep division. His government failed in its duty to unite the country. Economically and in the management of public finances, Mr. Trudeau’s record is disastrous. Our children and grandchildren will long pay for the damage caused by the Liberals over the past six years. However, Justin Trudeau had inherited a more than enviable position, notably being in a situation of budget surplus thanks to the responsible management of the previous government led by Stephen Harper.
Today, we are appealing to your sense of duty to turn the tide, unite our great country and restore Canada’s image on the international scene. There is only one person in a position to do so, and that is you, Mr. Charest. Good reflection !
* Co-signers: Rick Perkins, Member of Parliament for South Shore–St. Margarets, Nova Scotia; Percy MocklerSenator, New Brunswick; David Sweetformer MLA and Caucus Chair, Ontario; Louis LegerChief of Staff to the Premier of New Brunswick; Dominica ViennaMNA for Bellechasse–Les Etchemins–Lévis, Quebec; John NaterMLA for Perth–Wellington, Ontario; Leo Powerformer Director of the Conservative Fund of Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador