Jean Charest says he is ‘proud’ to have worked for Huawei

"Let's start with Huawei and you know what we did and Huawei, I'm very proud of what we did in helping to sort out the situation of Miss Meng Wanzhou," Charest told reporters.

Wanzhou, a Huawei executive, was arrested in Canada on December 1, 2018. As a result of her arrest, Canadian nationals Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig were taken into custody by the Chinese state and held as hostages under the State Secrets Law. The "two Michaels" captivity was widely perceived as a result of Wanzhou's arrest.

"We were very, very active in helping resolve that matter to bring the two Michaels home," Charest continued.

After 1,019 days in captivity, the Two Michaels were released and shortly after, Wanzhou was released from house arrest.

"I am running for the leadership of the Conservative Party to unite Canadians under common values and to restore our national unity, which is being eroded by too many divisions," said Charest at his launch event.

"Our party must present a relevant and credible political message to our fellow citizens across Canada in order to win the next election. It is time to unite our party in order to unite our country."

In addition to Jean Charest, Pierre Poilievre, Leslyn Lewis, Roman Baber are all seeking the leadership of the Conservative Party. The election is set to take place on September 10, 2022.