Erin O’Toole, who led the Conservative Party in the last general elections, says the fractured party reflects the state of Canada.
He, however, hopes the next Conservative leader will bind the party as well as the country together.
In nine months since O’Toole’s ouster early February, the party has been unable to select a permanent leader. A vote this coming Saturday will force a choice from among one of five hopefuls – Pierre Poilievre and fellow caucus members Leslyn Lewis and Scott Aitchison, former Quebec premier Jean Charest, and Roman Baber, former Ontario MPP. Interim leader Candice Bergen said she will not run in the next general elections.
“As a former leader, I am neutral in this race. I think there’s some good candidates, all expressing their ideas and their vision,” O’Toole told Durham Post in an exclusive interview.
“Right now, the country is so divided, I hope the next leader (of the Conservative Party) will really consider the unity of the country in everything they do,” he added.
“If people are saying there’s some differences or divisions within our party, our party is reflection of the country. There are divisions and differences dramatically in our country, and [Prime Minister Justin] Trudeau has tried to ignore this and gloss over to say I was exaggerating it – you just have to look at the people that are giving up on Canada,” said O’Toole.
Three Separation Movements
He said there are separation movements in three provinces now – not just Quebec. In Saskatchewan and Alberta, serious ones.
“You saw people going to Ottawa, breaking the law – I didn’t agree with that. They’re law-abiding people, but they were doing that because they thought they were being ignored or demonized,” said O’Toole.
“I’ve said publicly how I’m very concerned about some of the populism that’s out there, particularly it’s sort of angry. I hate seeing the flags that say: ‘F Trudeau’. I think Canada is great where we can disagree without being disagreeable. I don’t like that type of angry populism,” he said.
“But after many years of division by the Liberal government, we’re seeing that, especially in the west, but even in rural parts of Ontario. I don’t think that’s healthy, but it’s a product of the times. Politics is an extension of what the people are saying, and right now the people are mad and angry, uncertain, frustrated,” said O’Toole.
‘I hope we can get through this period in a way that doesn’t see division or xenophobia or any of the things we’ve seen in the United States or in parts of Europe,” he said.
“I do think our party is a reflection of the country. Right now, the country is in a bit of a difficult area,” said the former leader of Opposition. “We need a Prime Minister that starts uniting the country. You’ve seen some Liberal MPs speak out against Justin Trudeau’s Emergencies Act”.
Party Advice
Asked what the Conservative Party needs to do now, the former leader said: “Our party needs to work together. We also need to put the country first. Sometimes, Conservatives who are Members of Parliament like me, or members of the party, or someone who boasts Conservative, we have to get a little bit more accommodating. You have to be willing to get two-thirds of the things you’d like to see in a platform reflected.
“People are becoming – because of social media – angrier and angrier, and they want only their concerns to be listened to. That’s not a democracy. You have to be willing, at times, to put a little water into your wine… or juice, to make the country heal,” advised O’Toole.
“If I’ve learned anything in my almost 10 years of politics, travelling the country many times, working on many files, we got the greatest country in the world… the diversity of it is incredible. Democracy needs to respect everyone. No one has the perfect answer to anything. It’s a matter of working together and having smart compromise,” he added.
Asked if he still had a shot at leading the country, a surprised former Opposition leader said: “Me? I am not planning on that. I was fortunate. I consider myself being very lucky to have served in cabinet, to have represented Canada on world stage at events, and to serve as Leader of the Conservative Party. We got almost six million votes in the last election. I don’t come from a wealthy family. My dad wasn’t Prime Minister like Mr. Trudeau. So, I consider myself very fortunate. I’m MP for my hometown, and whether I’m leader or backbencher, I consider that to be an honor, and I’ll support whoever the next leader is.
“You never say never to anything in politics,” he, however, added.
Tomorrow: Erin O’Toole on why we lost the election
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