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OTTAWA — Erin O’Toole has secured one of the biggest endorsements available in the Conservative leadership race, as Alberta Premier Jason Kenney called him the “strong leader” the party needs as it looks to win the next election.

“We need a leader who is competent and principled,” Kenney wrote in a message to Conservative Party members. “A leader who won’t run away from conservative principles under pressure from the media or the Left. A leader who will unite our party, who speaks French, who can win in suburban Ontario, and who will fight for a fair deal for Western Canada.”

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Kenney’s message also takes a shot at his former cabinet colleague Peter MacKay, who’s widely considered to be the frontrunner in the race.

“Every conservative would be welcome in a party led by Erin,” Kenney wrote. “No one will have their deeply-held beliefs dismissed as ‘stinking albatrosses’ under Erin O’Toole’s leadership.”