I am running to be leader of the Conservative Party of Canada.
As you are aware, Stephen Harper resigned as Prime Minister and party leader after the Oct. 19 election. This began a leadership race in the Conservative Party, which is only now beginning in earnest. The vote for leader will take place on May 27, 2017.
The next Conservative Party leader, providing that he or she is also an MP, will also become Leader of the Official Opposition in the House of Commons, replacing Rona Ambrose, who was elected interim party leader by Conservative MPs and Senators last November.
On May 27, 2017, anyone who has a party membership can vote. Each member’s vote will be counted and each riding will be equally weighted.
Each riding is assigned 100 points for a total of 33,800 points (338 ridings, 100 points per riding). The percentage of votes that a leadership candidate gets in a riding determines the number of points. In order to win the leadership a candidate needs to win a majority of points: 16,901 points. The vote will be a secret, preferential ballot.
I’m running because I believe it’s time for new leadership for Canada. It’s time to attract new people to the Conservative Party. It’s time to tell the story of why the Conservatives are the party for people’s hopes and aspirations.
So let me tell you my story, a story like that of millions of Canadians, who have come to Canada in recent decades and in the more distant past.
My father was a Chinese immigrant from Hong Kong; my mother was a Dutch immigrant from the Netherlands. Both my father and my mother’s family were defended and liberated by Canadian soldiers during the Second World War. My father watched as Canadian troops defended him and his family during the Battle of Hong Kong – the first combat engagement of Canadian soldiers during the war. And my mother’s family was liberated by Canadian soldiers in the spring of 1945, something the Dutch have never forgotten.
My family would not be here today were it not for the sacrifices made by Canadian soldiers in two theatres of war. And that is the reason why I’m running to be leader: to give back to this country that has given me and my family everything.
I’m also running to attract new people to our party by putting forward new and ambitious policies based on Conservative principles.
While the leadership race will take me across Canada, my job representing the people of Wellington County and Halton Hills in the House of Commons will always be my primary concern.
Michael Chong can be reached at Michael.Chong@parl.gc.ca or 1-866-878-5556.