Trump win could shake up race for Tory leader
New poll finds populist Leitch as top choice
• Donald Trump’s stunning U.S. election victory is making waves in the Conservative leadership race, with Kellie Leitch calling it an example of Americans “throwing out the elites” and saying the same message needs to be delivered in Canada and the Tory race.
Her latest campaign offensive comes as a new Mainstreet Research poll conducted exclusively for Postmedia finds Leitch — “Canada’s Donald Trump” — is the top choice among Conservative supporters.
Other Tory hopefuls are also weighing in on the U.S. election, with Michael Chong saying Leitch’s desire to mimic Trump’s divisive path to victory is a mistake, while others note it shows you shouldn’t count out the underdog and Conservative candidates must truly listen to the grassroots.
But there’s also caution that the anti-establishment message found in the U.S. isn’t the same in Canada.
Leitch’s team sent out a fundraising email soon after Trump was confirmed as president-elect, saying his anti-establishment message epitomizes what her campaign is about. That’s why she is the only candidate willing to screen immigrants, refugees and visitors for “antiCanadian values.” “Tonight, our American cousins threw out the elites and elected Donald Trump as their next president. It’s an exciting message and one that we need delivered in Canada as well … (I) am the only candidate … who is standing up for Canadian values.”
Trump’s victory could affect the Conservative leadership race if candidates sense public angst and anger against the political establishment, as has been seen in the U.S. and Britain.
Leitch’s rivals have regularly panned her proposed values test as “dog-whistle politics” and “un-Canadian.”
Chong assailed her Wednesday for wanting Conservatives to “ape Donald Trump’s divisive path,” calling such an approach a “mistake.”
“Canadian conservatives win when we offer voters an ambitious, inspiring and inclusive vision of our country and its potential. Kellie’s policy of singling out newcomers to Canada for special ‘values’ screening by government is a losing strategy,” he said in an emailed statement.