Opinion | How the O’Toole Conservatives can find themselves in power after Sept. 20 – WellandTribune.ca

As we head toward a federal election on Sept. 20, the question being asked is whether Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau is heading for a majority victory or will he be held to a minority? Some polls show the Liberals on track for a majority, while others are unclear. A recent Nanos poll even suggests the Liberals could actually be in danger of losing power.

Democracy always works best when there is a viable alternative to the government. How should Erin O’Toole and the Conservative party show Canadians that they are indeed a viable alternative to the Trudeau government?

First, the Conservatives need to embrace and promote O’Toole’s roots. Unlike Trudeau who was born into wealth and privilege, O’Toole was born into a far more modest family. After being raised in Port Perry and Bowmanville, O’Toole entered the Royal Military College. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and political science and was commissioned as an officer in the Air Command (later to be renamed Royal Canadian Air Force) of the Canadian Armed Forces and rose to the rank of captain. After his active duty military career, he completed a law degree at Dalhousie University and then practised law in Toronto. Unlike Trudeau, Erin O’Toole has commanded women and men in critical situations and has worked in the private sector. He has a far greater depth of life and professional experience then Trudeau could ever hope to have. The Conservatives need to promote this.

Next, the Conservatives must do a better job of explaining exactly how they would have fought the pandemic better than the current government did, and what exactly they will do to lead us out of the oncoming fourth wave. Anyone can criticize and/or pontificate. Canadians need objective evidence and solid science/data from O’Toole here.

O’Toole must continue to reach out to working class Canadians, pushing back on the image that Conservatives are only concerned about the wealthy and big business. But at the same time he must avoid embracing or attracting the anti-immigration, anti-science and social conservative base that has taken over much of the base of the Republican Party in the United States. O’Toole must continue to promote the fact that Canada is a nation of immigration, and immigrants are needed to ensure we have enough people working who will pay into the various programs (Canada Pension Plan, Employment Insurance, etc.,) that we all rely on.

The social conservatives are a tougher task. The fact is, however, that many polls show about 30 per cent or so of Canadians consider themselves conservative. Out of that base, during the last Conservative party leadership convention, 35 per cent of support on the first ballot went to socially conservative candidates. A sizable minority to be sure — but still a minority. O’Toole must emphasize that the majority of Canadians are socially left of centre or liberal. The majority of Canadians do not want to discuss such issues as abortion or gay marriage any longer. Opening up those topics will make the Conservatives “radioactive” through most of Canada. O’Toole has a choice to make here. Walk away from the social conservatives or walk away from the idea of ever leading a government in Canada. He can certainly be respectful and encourage the social conservatives to live their lives the way they wish to. They are free to encourage other people to consider their views. He can and should pledge that a government led by him will never intrude on their beliefs. But the party cannot win power while supporting those views. The majority of Canadians will not tolerate that.

Science has allowed us to fight the ongoing pandemic to a fairly successful extent. Science also supports climate change. We all know moving away from fossil fuels that impact climate change will be extremely painful in areas of Canada such as Alberta and Saskatchewan. But the science is real. The Conservative party needs a logical plan to move these regions of Canada away from reliance on fossil fuels.

In this election campaign there is a window of opportunity that has opened up for O’Toole and the Conservative party. If they promote O’Toole’s strong background in leadership, and avoid embracing or encouraging issues that are in vogue with many in the American Republican Party, they may find themselves in power after Sept. 20.

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