Michael Chong and Federal Conservatives

Maxime Bernier: Chong is the third candidate to declare his ambition to lead the federal Conservatives, joining former labour minister Kellie Leitch and former minister of state for small business Maxime Bernier in the race that won't be decided for another year, according to CTV. The higher-profile candidates are biding their time; they already have the name recognition and fundraising ability the first three will need to build. Not in so many words - Chong praised Harper fiscal conservatism when asked about the former prime minister - but through a number of the policies he touched on. The Conservatives under Michael Chong would aim to lower taxes and simplify the tax code, he said. Chong is in favour of gay marriage, but for a rather socially conservative reason. "I believe that families are the core building block of our society and if two people want to make a life-long commitment and formalize that, I think we should respect that and we should welcome that," he said Monday in Ottawa. They would acknowledge the need to preserve the environment, and that carbon pricing already exists in Canada, and use that revenue to lower income taxes. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.