Canadian history has a very clear lesson for us.

Conservatives win elections only when we are united, and when we earn the trust of Canadians in every part of the country.

When he was on the opposition benches, Sir John A. Macdonald implored his team, “Let there be no splits.”

He inspired his caucus to bind as one: “Let us not, like the hunters in the fable, quarrel about the skin before we kill the bear. It will take our united efforts to kill a bear.”

Sir John A. was right. He brought Conservatives back from opposition and won four consecutive elections.

The reason I'm running for leader is to keep our Party united, win the next election and get Canada back on the right track.

Now more than ever, Canada needs principled and decisive Conservative leadership.

Stephen Harper recognized the need for unity when he called for the “sisters” of the conservative movement to work together.

That’s why I reached out to him soon after I was elected PC leader.  We co-founded the Conservative Party of Canada to help achieve the unity that Conservatives needed to win.  And I was proud to serve under his leadership where we won three successive elections, a record matched only by Macdonald and Diefenbaker.

Conservatives must come together. We can’t win with anything less than the entire Conservative family working together in common cause in every part of Canada.

I am running to unite our party and win a national majority Conservative government that will put Canada back on track.