“Your many fans are eager to support you and will join the party to do so,” Mike Coates, chair of the committee, told O’Leary in a letter, adding that many existing party members would support him\u00a0because he offers “the most compelling chance at winning the next election.”<\/p>\n
The former\u00a0Dragon’s Den<\/em>\u00a0investor\u00a0must file his candidacy\u00a0papers and pay\u00a0a deposit\u00a0by Feb.\u00a024 in order to be a candidate in the\u00a0May 27 vote.<\/p>\n O’Leary is a late entrant to\u00a0the race, as 13 other candidates have been vying for the leadership for months, dutifully signing up new members to stand behind them at the convention in Toronto.<\/p>\n “My problem is too many candidates in any of these debates in any language. You can’t have a debate, you can’t talk about Canada, you can’t bring your policies forward, you can’t show a different direction in 20-second sound bites. Please tell me when we’re down to four or five, then we’ll talk turkey,” O’Leary said earlier this month.<\/p>\n O’Leary has skipped the first three Conservative Party leadership debates, and has said he doesn’t like the format as the 13 candidates simply square off in a ‘soundbite’ contest. (CBC)<\/p>\n O’Leary has faced criticism from other candidates who questioned his decision to skip the French-language debate.<\/p>\n “If Kevin wants to run, it’s time to fish or cut bait,” Conservative candidate Andrew Scheer said earlier this month. “It is not acceptable to stall or delay in order to avoid the French-language debate.”<\/p>\n O’Leary does not speak any French, but in a recent interview with CBC News said he was working with a tutor to improve his proficiency<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n
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<\/p>\nFrench-language hurdle<\/h2>\n