Pitt Meadows-Maple Ridge MP Marc Dalton has made his decision about who he will be supporting for the leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada.
Dalton made the announcement on Thursday, June 2, over social media that he is going to endorse Dr. Leslyn Lewis for the top position in the party.
Dalton had put his name into the leadership bid, announcing that he was running on March 20 in a video online. His platform included pushing for a national inquiry into the federal government’s handling of the pandemic if he became the leader of the party.
I am so honoured to have @MarcDalton join my team. Marc has spoken up for so many Canadians who feel they don't have a voice anymore. I am excited to work together for ALL Canadians! #cpcldr #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/tYldm8AqrL
— Dr. Leslyn Lewis (@LeslynLewis) June 3, 2022
However, he failed to raise the $300,000 in registration fees and a compliance deposit by the April 29 deadline, and was subsequently dropped from the ballot.
At the time, he said he needed to think about who he wanted to support in the leadership race.
In a letter posted by Lewis, Dalton said he has gotten to know Lewis since she was elected as a Member of Parliament and that he has always been impressed with her principles, her passion, and her vision for Canada.
“I am endorsing her because she best represents the values that I advocated for during my leadership bid, and for the fact that she is a strong leader,” Dalton wrote.
“Leslyn also amplifies that the Conservative Party is a modern political movement that embraces immigrants, people of colour, and women,” he added, noting that Lewis has been putting a lot of work into learning the French language.
“She will be ready to be prime minister in both official languages,” he announced.
Six candidates are on the ballot now for leader including Lewis, Pierre Poilievre, Jean Charest, Patrick Brown, Scott Aitchison, and Roman Baber.
Lewis, an Ontario MP for Haldimand-Norfolk, who was little known to Canadians until she placed third in the party’s 2020 leadership contest, said she was honoured to have Dalton join her team.
“Marc has spoken up for so many Canadians who feel they don’t have a voice anymore. I am excited to work together for all Canadians,” said Lewis in a Tweet.
READ MORE: Six verified candidates vying to lead the Conservative Party of Canada
Most recently Lewis was critical of the decriminalizing of small amounts of illicit drugs in British Columbia, saying that changes won’t save lives, restore families, or make communities safer.
“Let’s focus on getting people off drugs and getting this crisis under control with true compassionate action,” she said.
She would also like to see all travel restrictions scrapped, reverting back to pre-pandemic rules. Lewis commented that vaccinated Canadians returning from vacation feel like criminals at the border and the unvaccinated can’t travel and feel like prisoners in their own country.
READ ALSO: Pitt Meadows – Maple Ridge MP out of running for Conservative leader
In addition, she promised to start child benefit payments at the 12th week of pregnancy for expecting mothers to take the pressure off them working right up until the birth of their baby. And, she said she will increase the parental leave benefit from the current one and a half years to two years.
Lewis has also previously declared she is pro-life and is against abortion, and said if elected leader of the country would ban sex-selective abortions, criminalize coerced abortions, increase funding for pregnancy centres, and will end abortion funding overseas.
The new Conservative Party leader will be announced on Sept. 10.
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