OTTAWA — Conservative party leadership candidate Kevin O’Leary says the trust he has built up among Americans makes him far better placed to deal with their president than the current Canadian prime minister.
O’Leary says proof of that comes this morning when he’ll be in New York for the opening bell of the stock exchange and knows he will get an earful from business leaders eager to talk about North American free trade.
He says he has built a relationship over decades with Americans in business and has contacts across industries.
But he says it’s his appearances on the reality show “Shark Tank” that have cemented the trust that will be essential in keeping Canada top of mind as the U.S. retools its economic policies under a new administration.
While O’Leary says he has developed more trust among Americans than Trudeau, it’s winning the trust of Canadians he is focused on as he seeks the leadership of the federal Conservative party.
He says his campaign has signed up 9,000 new Conservative party members and raised $300,000 in the last 10 days.