OTTAWA – Kevin O’Leary says he is writing off the campaign of Conservative leadership candidate Kellie Leitch over her idea to screen potential immigrants and refugees for what she calls anti-Canadian values.
O’Leary, who is still deciding whether he wants to join the Conservative leadership race or endorse another contender, says her controversial proposal is un-Canadian.
READ MORE: Canadians prefer MacKay or O’Leary as next Conservative leader: Ipsos poll
The celebrity businessman drew comparisons to U.S. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump when he started musing about joining the race earlier this year, as much for his brash personality as for his appearances on reality television, such as the CBC’s “Dragons’ Den”.
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But O’Leary has said he has nothing in common with the American politician when it comes to his views on foreign or social policy, especially when it comes to immigration.
READ MORE: Kellie Leitch: Stricter immigration vetting ‘isn’t about identity politics’
O’Leary, who is of Lebanese-Irish origins, says he would not be in Canada if Leitch’s idea was in place at the time.
O’Leary says he plans to either declare his candidacy or throw his weight behind someone else by mid-November.
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