As the leadership race heats up for the Conservative Party of Canada, a number of front runners are on the campaign trail.

One of the 14 registered candidates, Maxime Bernier, stopped in Winkler recently as part of a Manitoba tour.

Bernier serves as MP for the riding of Beauce in Quebec but is hoping to connect with rural Canadians across the country.

"I want people to understand our platform, I want to be able to answer their questions," he says.

While there are a number of candidates, many polls suggest the leadership race will come down to Bernier and well-known investor and entrepreneur Kevin O'Leary.

Bernier says he would be able to give the Conservatives a stronger chance at forming the next government, with a commitment to winning 40 of the 78  seats in Quebec.

Currently, the Conservative have 12 seats in the Province of Quebec.

"I can do that because I can speak to Quebecers, and I can speak to Canadians all across the country," he says.

While Bernier has attracted support from both inside and outside Quebec, O'Leary continues to find wide-spread recognition as a well-known TV personality.

However, Bernier says his while his competitor has strong name recognition, O'Leary lacks a strong platform.

"That's the difference between me and Kevin O'Leary. Mr. O'Leary is a nice guy, but he doesn't have a platform," Bernier says. "We know what will be good for this country because we know that we need to stick to our principles; a limited government being able to lower taxes."

Bernier continues his tour of Canada, West to B.C.

The leadership election will be held May 27th.

Bernier was recently in Winkler