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Photo by Chris Young/CP

So what’s your unique selling point, would you say, in a race that’s likely to include Doug Ford, Caroline Mulroney and Rod Phillips. What’s your basic pitch to members?

I’m ready now, to go forward. This is not a time for someone that hasn’t had experience at Queen’s Park to come try to pull the party together and to defeat the Liberals in just a few months. I have had that experience. I was at Queen’s Park for many years. I am experienced in running in leaderships too (laughs). So I know what’s at stake here and I know how to do it.

In terms of leadership races, are there lessons you learned three years ago and in 2009 that you’re putting into practice right now?

Yes, of course. It’s necessary in any leadership contest to connect with as many people as possible — members — to talk to hem about my view of things, what I want to bring to the table, why I think my experience is necessary. This is going to be a different campaign, in the sense that there won’t be nearly as much time for physical travel. It’ll be a lot more about being in touch on the phone, through social media, through virtual town halls. Because the time frames are so compressed, we have to be really smart about how we do it.

In terms of outreach, Patrick Brown had a fractious relationship with the party’s social conservatives. Is there room for them in the PC Party of Ontario as you see it?

Yes. Absolutely. It is a very big blue tent, comprised of people will all sorts of different views. … So certainly social conservatives are more than welcome. … We aren’t going to agree on every single thing, but I think every one of our members, be they social conservatives or not, are worthy of that respect and dignity.