While he may not have been my first choice, Erin O’Toole’s political track record makes him a Conservative leader Canadians will approve of.
The Conservative Party of Canada’s most recent leadership race was an unprecedented and successful one. Even in the midst of a pandemic, the party saw a record-breaking increase in membership and featured a vigorous debate about how a Conservative government should govern Canada post COVID-19 in the case of an election win.
While Conservative members had the choice to select a leader from four potential candidates, for myself, this leadership race was something of a paradox between two options in particular: Peter MacKay and O’Toole. While I was disappointed MacKay did not win, I have no doubt Canadians will like what they see with O’Toole as leader of the Conservative party.
Since both candidates had very similar policies and visions for the party, I chose to support MacKay based on minute factors, such as notoriety and elder statesman-like quality that contrasted greatly against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
For the Conservatives to win the next election, the party must garner support from across Canada. Unlike the Liberals, who can sit idly with guaranteed support from major metropolitan cities such as Montreal, conservatives must appeal to a more diverse cross-section of Canada in order to win. This means earning the votes of farmers, disenfranchised Westerners, working-class families, new Canadians, and Quebecers.
One lesson Conservatives learned following the 2019 election was the need to broaden conservative support and, above all, present a vision of a united Canada that people can rally around.
Since becoming leader, O’Toole has quickly shown Canadians the Conservative party has changed by electing a pro-choice, pro-LGBTQ+ member of Parliament as their leader. This isn’t a case of just saying the right things to get votes. O’Toole has long been a defender of human rights, most recently pledging to end the discriminatory ban on blood donations from men who have sex with men.
Another lesson learned from the last election is the importance of the environment to Canadians. O’Toole has openly recognized the need to have a substantive climate plan without implementing a byzantine taxation scheme. This means ensuring Canada is a global leader in safe, zero-emission nuclear technology, exporting low-emission energy to countries that need it the most, and making industrial polluters pay—not ordinary Canadians.
Many Canadians have been disappointed with Trudeau’s poor governance of this country—particularly evidenced by Canada’s declining position on the world stage.
Time and time again, the current Liberal government has failed to promote Canada’s interests and reputation as a defender of human rights. Its most shocking lapse has been the party’s tepid and timid response to the Communist Party of China’s rising global influence.
O’Toole offers a real alternative to Trudeau. An O’Toole-led Conservative government would restore Canada’s presence in the eyes of our allies.
This means banning Huawei from our 5G networks and limiting the role of similar Communist Party of China satellite entities in our economy. As the foreign affairs opposition critic, O’Toole has long called on the Canadian government to stand up to China. He has encouraged the government to stand with the pro-democracy advocates in Hong Kong by recognizing Taiwan’s place in multilateral institutions like the United Nations.
Conservative leaders are often viewed on a spectrum, placed somewhere between consensus-oriented leaders like Brian Mulroney or conviction-driven leaders like Stephen Harper.
O’Toole will occupy somewhere between the two—succeeding by applying conservative principles and solutions to modern problems while forging a national coalition of voters from coast to coast to coast.
Featured graphic by Sara Mizannojehdehi.
