It is not easy for me to publicly support a candidate for leadership of the Conservative Party. I have worked very closely with many of the candidates in cabinet and caucus and consider them to be friends.

However, the stakes are high and I believe it is exceptionally important that we elect the most able person to lead our party and ultimately the country. So I am honoured to support Maxime Bernier. He has the ideas, judgement, experience and political skills to be a formidable Leader of the Opposition and a transformative Prime Minister.

Maxime has advanced conservative policies that are creative and practical, policies that can make Canada a more free, prosperous, fair and secure country, true to our core values and to our proud history. They are also attractive policies that will resonate across the country. Good policy and good politics is a winning combination and that is why Maxime can win the next election.

Let me provide a few examples.

As Prime Minister, Maxime Bernier would lower personal taxes to make life more affordable for hard-working Canadians and reduce corporate taxes to enhance competitiveness, create jobs and bolster economic growth.

Phasing out supply management will benefit millions of Canadians through lower prices and greater consumer choice in milk, cheese, eggs and poultry, the staple of most diets. Eliminating the dairy cartel will save families hundreds of dollars every year, open up new markets to our dairy farmers and remove a significant barrier to international trade deals.

The largest number of farmers covered by this protectionist scheme are in the Beauce, Max’s riding. If he can convince his constituents, think about how positively the message will be received in downtown Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.

Maxime would abolish corporate welfare, like the $372 million the Liberal government handed over to Bombardier, even though a senior executive there said they did not need a federal grant. Then the company decided to pay out $32 million in bonuses to top executives, scaled back to $21 million after outraged protesters marched on René-Lévesque Boulevard in Montreal.

Maxime would end inter-provincial trade barriers, pursue international trade, scrap the carbon tax and capital gains tax, reform equalization, balance the budget in two years and start defending our border. The list goes on, but the point is he would introduce much-needed reforms that voters will enthusiastically support because they are sound and beneficial to the middle class.

The political reality is anyone aspiring to be Prime Minister must be fully bilingual and able to communicate with Canadians right across the country. It would also be wonderful for our Party to have, for the first time, a francophone leader who can make significant inroads in Quebec.

Maxime has extensive experience in the private sector and government. He has demonstrated political courage, innovation and a passion for Canada. He puts his faith in people over government, in job-creating businesses over bureaucracy, in personal responsibility over the nanny state, in caring for the needy, while avoiding the welfare trap.

Justin Trudeau’s political honeymoon is over and no wonder. A do-nothing budget that promises deficits to mid-century and ballooning debt in the trillions, slow growth, broken promises, cash for access, an authoritarian attempt to limit debate in Parliament, the old Liberal sense of entitlement, weakness in fighting terrorism and confusion in dealing with illegal immigration.

Canada needs a strong Opposition Party led by a dynamic leader who offers a compelling alternative to a government that has lost its way. A leader who will do what it takes for Canada to achieve its enormous potential. That leader is Maxime Bernier.

Joe Oliver is the former minister of finance