CPC’s challenge is on the inside, not the outside

Over the weekend, Conservative Party of Canada leader Erin O’Toole once again found himself having to assure Canadians that “The Conservatives are a moderate, pragmatic, mainstream party … that sits squarely in the centre of Canadian politics ... There is no place for the far right in our party.”

He didn’t have much choice after the Liberals, playing their typical hardball politics, trotted out a number of examples of things they claim show the Conservatives have a Trumpist streak.

In particular, the Liberals pointed to O’Toole’s leadership campaign slogan “Take Back Canada” which bears an unflattering resemblance to Trump rhetoric. They also distributed photos showing deputy leader Candace Bergen wearing a MAGA hat. They pointed to a now-deleted website that accused the Liberals of trying to rig the next election. They pointed to the Conservatives treating as legitimate media sources far-right propaganda distributors like Rebel Media, and to the fact that a number of Conservative MPs have accounts on Parler, a social networking service with a significant base of Trump supporters, conspiracy theorists and right-wing extremists.

O’Toole was quick strike back, accusing the Liberals of wanting to “sow misinformation and divide Canadians.” Maybe, but you can be certain that the Conservatives would do exactly the same thing if the situation was reversed.

Here is the thing. The Liberals cannot seize opportunities that do not exist.

The MAGA hat was not Bergen’s but she was foolish enough to be photographed wearing it. O’Toole did borrow tone and content from Trump. The deleted website did make baseless Trumpian claims about election cheating. Rebel Media and the like should never be confused with legitimate media sources. And any elected official who links him or herself to Parler deserves whatever they get.

Since taking over leadership from the ill-fated Andrew Scheer, O’Toole has done a credible job of reinvigorating the CPC. He has said from the outset he envisions a party inhabiting a much larger tent, and that makes sense because it must have a larger base to be a serious threat to the Liberals, especially in Ontario and Quebec.

There is no compelling body of evidence to show the CPC is secretly harbouring some far-right socially conservative agenda. O’Toole, and Bergen too, were quick to condemn the recent mob violence in Washington. O’Toole has been steadfast in his assurance that he has no hidden agenda, and unlike Scheer, whose socially conservative views he didn’t like to talk about, the new CPC leader appears to be genuinely moderate and more in step with the views of average Canadians.

But that doesn’t mean O’Toole doesn’t have a problem.

A recent Angus Reid opinion poll asked respondents if they believed the U.S. election was “fair and should not be contested.” Ninety-five per cent of respondents identifying as Liberal said yes. Ninety-two per cent of NDP voters said it was fair.

But 41 per cent of respondents identifying as Conservative said the election was not fair and should be contested. There is absolutely no evidence to support that conspiracy theory, but it’s the one stubbornly put forward by Trump and his minions. More than 60 separate court cases found there was no fraud or cheating that would have altered the outcome of the election.

This is O’Toole’s problem. He can and must continue to insist there is no room in the CPC for right-wing extremism. But Trumpism exists in the party, and most average Canadians are not going to want to share space with it, regardless of how big the tent is.