 During his speech he predicted that the Liberal government would fall within four years from economic collapse.Following Stephen Harper's resignation as leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, O'Leary attended Conservative party gatherings in February and May 2016, leading to public speculation about whether he would run for 2017 leadership election.In February 2016, Maxime Bernier, a Conservative Quebecois politician, criticized O'Leary, calling him a "tourist" for wanting to be prime minister without being able to speak French.