Brad Trost is gunning for the federal Conservative Party leadership.
The member of Parliament for Saskatoon-University and one of the foremost advocates for socially conservative positions within his party launched his campaign Tuesday.
The campaign carries the tagline, “100% conservative.”
Trost, who’s been in Parliament since 2004, first hinted he was looking into a leadership bid after the Conservative Party dropped a policy opposing same-sex marriage from the party handbook in May.
The 42-year-old is “an active member of the Parliamentary Pro-Life Caucus and is an uncompromising defender of traditional marriage,” according to the bio on his campaign website. In 2011, he openly criticized his government’s decision to fund $6 million to the International Planned Parenthood Foundation, a group that promotes sexual and reproductive health services, including abortion services.
“Brad Trost is a genuine, principled conservative– a 100% conservative – who believes that Canadians are concerned about their families and deserve leaders who respect them and who can… speak for them on ALL the important issues of the day,” his campaign site reads.
He holds bachelor’s degrees in geophysics and economics from the University of Saskatchewan and is currently the official Opposition critic for Canada-U.S. relations.
He did not respond to a call from CTV News. According to his official Facebook page, he’s on vacation in Mongolia with his family.
Trost is the sixth candidate to enter the race so far. The Conservative leadership election is set for May 27, 2017.
--- with files from The Canadian Press and CTVNews.ca
