Marilyn Gladu is carrying a message of inclusion into the most expensive leadership contest in Canadian political history.
The Sarnia-Lambton MP is one of half a dozen declared candidates seeking to lead the Conservative Party of Canada.
Each must pay an entry fee of $300,000 — one-third refundable — and get signatures from at least 3,000 party members from 30 electoral districts in seven provinces and territories to qualify.
“I said to myself, ‘We need a strong and likeable leader,’” Gladu, 57, said of her decision to run.
“When I heard about who might be running… I thought this is the same old, same old. Really, we need somebody that can grow the base and who knows how to lead.”
