WARMINGTON: Toronto lawyer closer to Conservative leadership run
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One thousand signed. Two thousand signatures to go.
After that, Leslyn Lewis will find herself in the federal Conservative leadership race for real.
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WARMINGTON: Toronto lawyer closer to Conservative leadership run Back to video
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She met the first stage Tuesday with some wind in her sails — dropping off the compulsory cheque for $25,000 to join the leadership process.
Just $275,000 more to go.
But the 49-year-old lawyer and PhD in international law is confident she will be in that race with Peter MacKay, Erin O’Toole and the others.
She’s the ultimate underdog with credentials that any front-runner would love to boast. Some underdogs you just love to root for.
Television host Steve Paikin, of TVO, noted in a tweet that Lewis will “become the first black Canadian to run for the leadership of any federal conservative party.”
The history Lewis would like to make is to go on to become Canada’s first elected female prime minister.
Time will tell, but right now Lewis is already making noise in this leadership battle. She plans to make more — saying with her strong conservative followers, she’s going to shake things up.
“We are going to restore balance to Canadian politics,” she told the Toronto Sun Tuesday night.
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She’s not politically correct and she’s not afraid of her own shadow. If she has something to say, she doesn’t put together a focus group to help her figure things out.
She just says it.
And, she said, she wants that approach for all Canadians.
“People are going to be able to speak freely and respectfully about issues that matter,” she said.
But she has to get on that ballot first and unlike some of the more mainstream Conservative candidates, her campaign is old fashioned: One signature at a time, a $5 donation here and another there.
If she gets the cash and signatures required, Lewis promises a frank conversation with Canadians.
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“My campaign is based on what I see as the three missing elements in politics today: Courage, compassion and common sense,” said Lewis. “I will have more to say in the days, weeks and months ahead.”
As she’s out trying to get signatures and raise the entry fee, many regular Canadians looking for a middle-class warrior are looking forward to hearing what she has to say.
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