Article content continued

We've got a lot of policy

Peterson’s biggest hurdle will be overcoming his underwhelming performance in that race, in which he finished 12th with less than one per cent of the vote. One person familiar with the current campaign staff described the current setup as a huge improvement from three years ago, where Peterson lacked any online presence and email network and relied almost exclusively on a plan to generate buzz with TV appearances and debates.

Peterson hopes it will be a different race this time, with fewer candidates and tougher rules giving him a chance to differentiate himself. February 27 marks the first deadline for candidates, where they will have to pay a fee of $25,000, and collect 1,000 signatures from party members in at least 30 ridings across seven provinces.

Six candidates have now publicly announced their plan to enter. Along with Peterson, there is Richard Décarie, a social conservative from Quebec; Marilyn Gladu, a two-term MP from southwestern Ontario; Derek Sloan, a rookie MP from eastern Ontario; along with MacKay and O’Toole.

Peterson said his campaign will be rolling out policy ideas that will add up to “one big vision.”

“We’re not just running on just a flat tax campaign,” he said.

Photo by Jim Wells/Postmedia/File

It’s not the first time a flat tax has been proposed at the federal level. In 2000, Stockwell Day’s Canadian Alliance ran on a proposal for a 17.5 per cent flat tax. The Alliance gained six seats but was still a long way off from the Liberal majority of 172 seats.

In Alberta, Jason Kenney’s United Conservative Party won the 2019 election in part by highlighting the party’s plan for a corporate tax cut and Kenney told the Post he was shocked by how well the proposal polled in the province. Peterson hopes his proposals find a similar niche.

“People get the fact that with more cash in their pockets, they are going to do things that grow the economy,” he said.

• Email: sxthomson@postmedia.com | Twitter: stuartxthomson

Listen to our Canadian news podcast, 10/3