Calgary MP Deepak Obhrai joins Conservative leadership race

Longtime Calgary MP Deepak Obhrai is joining the race for the leadership of the federal Conservatives.

Obhrai, who represents the Calgary Forest Lawn riding and was first elected in 1997 as a member of the Reform Party, said hewants the Conservative Party of Canadato become more inclusive of peoplefrom all walks of life.

"We are a party that is for all Canadiansno matter where they come from or whether they're disabled, visible minorities, or young,women," he told CBC News. "They should have an equal voice in this party."

Calgary Eyeopener7:12Deepak Obhrai joins Conservative leadership race

Longtime MP Deepak Obhrai, who was first elected in 1997 and represents the riding of Calgary Forest Lawn, is joining the race for the leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada.

In April,Obhraibroke ranks with the Conservativeestablishment over proposed changes to the party'srules, including boosting the annual fee for individual members to $25 the highest among all federal partiesand the registration fee for party leadership contenders to $100,000.

• Calgary MP Deepak Obhrai king of the Conservative caucus, for the moment
• Conservative MP slams Tories for becoming an 'elitist, white-only club'

The change would prevent hundreds of thousands of Canadians from joining the Conservatives andturn the party into an "elitist, white-only club," Obhrai said at the time.

"Establishedconservatives with established families who have very strong conservative principles will remain asmembers and are willing to cough up the big money," he said.

"Ultimately, that will turn into, what I will say, a white people's club."

Other Conservative MPs, including former defence minister and current Alberta PC leadership contender,Jason Kenneyalso later voiced concern over the membership fee.

The party's national councilultimately backed down and reducedthe one-year membership fee to $15.

Obhrai said Canadians were won over by the tone of Justin Trudeau's message if not its content in the 2015 election campaign, and the Conservatives need to take heed of the success that approach brought the Liberals.

"I mean, there's no promise given by Mr. Trudeau, but at least he gave us a message of hope, while we in that matter failed," Obhrai said.

"So, therefore, it is very important we need to be out there to say we represent the future."

The other announced candidates for the Conservative leadership, so far,are Ontario MPs Tony Clement, Kellie Leitch and Michael Chong, and Quebec MP Maxime Bernier.