Tories’ future up for grabs

As the federal Conservative leadership race enters its final stretch, it’s frightening to believe Kevin O’Leary remains at the front of the pack and could win it all.

An abrasive, unilingual businessman turned reality-TV star who spends most of his time in the United States, has never held public office and is more of a gung-ho capitalist than a committed political conservative, O’Leary is completely unqualified for the job.

The fact that he currently commands first or second place in the contest, depending on which poll you trust, and that so many Conservatives believe he has the right stuff to take on Justin Trudeau’s Liberals should worry the country as much as the party.

What are the Tories thinking?

With the election of a new leader at its May 27 convention, the Conservatives will be choosing the face of their party and its direction heading into the 2019 federal election.

The prerequisites for this position demand someone who can pitch a big tent with a welcome sign on it.

The next Conservative leader should be eager to reach across geographic, linguistic, ethnic and cultural divides and bring together Canadians of all backgrounds in an inclusive, forward-looking political movement.

That leader must also be a match for a prime minister who, at this point at least, is hugely popular.

To put it bluntly, the brash, bombastic O’Leary, who skipped leadership debates, can’t speak one of Canada’s official languages and offers simplistic, free-market cures for every ill, simply isn’t this person.

Tories who think Canadians are ready for Donald Trump-lite delude themselves.

But it’s also disconcerting to peruse the list of 14 Conservative leadership candidates and see so many other names of people with so little to offer.

There’s Ontario MP Kelly Leitch, whose most notable policy proposal is to screen every immigrant and visitor to Canada for “Canadian values.”

There’s Brad Trost, who last month expressed his discomfort with people being gay and said he would never participate in gay pride events. The Saskatchewan MP has also said he wants to reopen the debates on same-sex marriages, abortion and assisted death.

Compared to these dubious options, the leadership race’s other front-runner, Quebec MP Maxime Bernier, seems positively mainstream.

Yet it’s fair to ask whether his libertarian-sounding platform calling for small government, flat taxes and an end to farm marketing boards will have broad appeal.

It is telling and sad that more moderate, centrist Conservative leadership candidates, such as Wellington-Halton Hills MP Michael Chong, have found so little traction among party members. With more than a decade in Parliament and cabinet experience that proved him to be a principled, capable politician, Chong advocates a carbon tax — as well as corporate tax cuts.

Despite making modest gains, however, he remains an outside shot.

The country will learn much about the Conservatives when they elect a new leader next month.

If they get it right, they might seriously challenge the Liberals.

The wrong leader, however, will drag the Tories back into the political wilderness.