As the Ottawa bubble debated whether Kevin O'Leary would have the audacity to run for leader of the Conservative party, one talking point was repeated as a glaring knock against his potential candidacy: He can't speak French.
Because this is a bilingual country, and because Quebec votes are crucial to any leadership bid, it was a convincing argument. But it also masked a hidden truth -- Mr. O'Leary's big weakness is his business history.
Like Donald Trump, he tries to project an image that suggests every business he's touched is wildly successful. As we uncovered in Report on Business magazine, the reality is much less rosy. Mr. O'Leary's billion-dollar sale of his software company in 1999 proved to be a disaster, his track record on Dragon's Den was spotty, and the investment fund company he co-founded roared out of the gates, only to fall out of favour with investors and their advisers. Story
DAILY DEALS
PrivateBancorp Inc. reported higher fourth-quarter earnings, but kept investors in the dark on when it plans to reschedule a key shareholder vote. Story
ON THE MOVE
Hunter Harrison is leaving Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. six months ahead of schedule, and the bombastic 72-year-old executive appears likely to take a job at another railway. Story
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