Erin O’Toole’s contrarian hair-splitting
DEAR EDITOR:
Listening to Erin O’Toole explain himself over his “flippant remarks” about the Truth and Reconciliation Process delivered while addressing young party members at Toronto’s Ryerson University was not reassuring.
The media storm left O’Toole to justify that he was speaking against the cancel-culture and lefty-radicals – around Egerton Ryerson’s own legacy in helping shape the residential school system. He gave tips to young conservatives on “how to win debates with Liberals” and the “woke crowd” over residential schools. “Shock the hell out of them,” O’Toole suggested, by saying “initially the system was to provide education; but it became a horrible program that really hurt people.”
This contrarian hair-splitting raises questions whether Conservatives really understand what actually went on. The residential school system was genocide by forced assimilation, under a veneer of education, plain and simple; recognizing this unpleasant truth is fundamental to our healing.
This is a frustrating topic for Conservatives, particularly for members drawn to former Conservative leadership candidate Derek Sloan’s racial overtones.
O’Toole is charting his own great reset. He’s selling his party as a home for unionized workers, progressives in Quebec, oil and gas workers in the West, social conservatives and rural gun owners and working families, along with China hawks and fiscal conservatives – a grab-bag of populist appeal — but it paints a confusing portrait of where Conservatives stand.
Tripling down on the carbon tax, Trudeau gives strong indications that climate will dominate the next election. A direct challenge to Conservatives’ poor effort on the file, who seem more focused on rattling or humiliating the Liberals.
Conservatives make a big mistake assuming that Canadians don’t like Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as much as they do. Public opinion suggests the minority Liberals are leaning towards a majority government because of their handling of the pandemic, which is the most important issue for Canadians right now.
Jon Peter Christoff,
West Kelowna