MY PICK FOR CONSERVATIVE LEADER IS ...
The only thing we know for sure about the outcome of the Conservative leadership race is that Kevin O’Leary quit before he could be counted. Conservatives are now left with 13 options to replace Stephen Harper.
There’s no perfect choice; there never is. But there is enough punching power to take on Justin Trudeau and whichever poor sap ends up with Thomas Mulcair’s job.
The next Conservative leader must: 1) keep the party united; 2) provide an effective opposition; and 3) attract support to the Conservative movement by pitching conservative policies.
There’s no point picking a leader who has no mates in the party. Also pointless? Picking someone who is liked, but can’t land a blow against Trudeau. But most useless of all would be to pick someone who has support and House chutzpah, but isn’t able to broaden the Conservative base.
The saddest part of this contest has been its introversion; there has been too much said to people who are likely to vote Conservative no matter what.
It was the path of least resistance. Growing necessitates a tricky discussion about what, exactly, being a “conservative” means. And how conservatism is practised.
For me, being a conservative means providing effective and accountable government that is powered, where possible, by the market. Having been inside it, I can assure you the federal bureaucracy will always claim a role, even when common sense dictates that it has none.
Is this a point in Maxime Bernier’s favour? Perhaps. But he’s not my pick. I’m not convinced he’s got enough caucus support. Or precise enough command of English to command the House (and by extension the viewers watching). And I fear Bernier is a little too Ayn Rand to win over Canadians to his brand of libertarianism, which is itself a minority sect of conservatism.
Libertarians scare the bejeezus out of most people and Canadians in particular believe in government enough to not want it blow-torched by the radicals. Social conservatives don’t like it much either when it comes to marriage or drugs.
This isn’t to discourage boldness, which Bernier has in spades. New policies must be put forward, but the next leader can’t go too far, too fast, in too cavalier a manner.
Any policy radicalism must therefore be wrapped up in a pleasant package. That rules out Kellie Leitch and her “values” brigade, who are radical in the wrong way and spectacularly wrong in how they talk about it. To choose Leitch would be to confirm, once and for all, the precise size of the core Conservative vote.
Now, Andrew Scheer and Erin O’Toole aren’t threatening dudes, as evidenced by their significant support from fellow caucus members. But their platforms read like warmedup Harper leftovers. It wasn’t enough in 2015 and it’s unlikely to do the trick in four years’ time.
Scheer and O’Toole would keep the team together and do well in the House, but I’m not convinced they could build the kind of support needed to dethrone Trudeau. There’s just not enough new on offer.
Which brings me to Michael Chong.
You want boldness and bravery? The man argued for a market-based carbon tax (with offsetting cuts to personal and corporate taxes and an end to many of the niche and costly tax expenditures brought in by the previous government) in room after room of hostile audiences.
You want principled? The man resigned from cabinet instead of supporting something (the famous “Quebec Nation” motion) he didn’t believe in. He then brought forward a Reform Act to give more power to backbench MPs over the initial objection of the Prime Minister’s Office.
It’s sad that it’s not fashionable to say this, but Chong’s plan on taxes and the environment is a) conservative and b) would give Conservatives a way to reach younger voters who are worried about their personal finances, their inherited debt and their planet.
And most impressively, Chong has done it all with a smile on his face, even when that face was plastered on Guatemalan toilet adverts or blushing because of an awkward and embarrassing column in the Globe and Mail about a stranger considering whether to breastfeed his son. It speaks well to his character that he handled both of these bizarre incidents with unerring grace.
Can Chong keep the Conservative movement together? That would be his challenge, but the tools are there.
In addition to conservative policies, Chong is mixed race, lives on a farm, has a strong family and speaks French. That’s a nice combo for anyone with an open mind. He also has a plan for Parliament that would increase the role of MPs.
In other words, Chong is a principled man who can speak to all Canadians, in both languages, with grace, on behalf of an empowered team of Conservatives.
Choose Chong.