Kellie Leitch latches on to Trump victory
Posted November 9, 2016 6:04 am.
Last Updated November 9, 2016 6:05 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
OTTAWA – The leadership campaign of Conservative party hopeful Kellie Leitch is jumping on Donald Trump’s surprise US victory to fire a shot at so-called Canadian elites.
On Facebook and in emails to supporters overnight, Leitch called Trump’s presidential victory an “exciting message that needs to be delivered in Canada as well.”
Leitch has aggressively carved out space in the crowded field to replace former prime minister Stephen Harper as Conservative leader.
Her campaign has proposed screening immigrants for as-yet undefined Canadian values, while criticizing her fellow candidates as out-of-touch elites.
The brashly populist message comes from a pediatric orthopaedic surgeon who served as a minister in the former Harper government.
Canadian opinion polls have suggested a strong pro-Democratic sentiment north of the border but Leitch says she looks forward to working with the Republican president-elect on issues of common concern.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was blandly cautious in the run-up to Tuesday’s US vote, saying he would work with whomever the American electorate chose as leader.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Trudeau said Canada looks forward to working “very closely” with Trump, his administration and with the US Congress in the coming years, including on issues like trade, investment, international peace and security.
