Local Tories should replace Tory MPP Jack MacLaren

Is Jack MacLaren the kind of person Ontario PCs want to represent them in the next election?

That question will be answered later this spring when PCs in the KanataCarleton riding will decide whether to re-nominate the two-time MPP or choose one of his two rivals, a retired physician and a retired police officer, both from Kanata.

Outspoken health care activist Dr. Merrilee Fullerton’s candidacy was approved by the party last week. Richard Keindel’s candidacy is expected to be approved soon as well. It’s not often that one sees a sitting MPP challenged, although it is how MacLaren got the job himself, defeating former MPP Norm Sterling.

The outcome of the nomination fight will send a message to voters in Ottawa and across the province: Is the PC party moving toward the mainstream or is it content to remain a party noted for eccentricity, to put it kindly?

Those who follow local politics will know that MacLaren has been in the news quite a bit lately, but not in a way that helps his cause. Just last week, he hit the all-too-familiar selfdestruct button again when he questioned a new zero tolerance policy for doctors who sexually abuse patients.

That might not have been so bad if MacLaren hadn’t landed himself in the soup just over a year ago when he made tasteless, sexist comments about his federal counterpart, MP Karen McCrimmon, and had to be sent for sensitivity training.

MacLaren has become a liability for his party. Last week’s comments were a gift for the Liberals, who are eager to paint the PCs as misogynistic dinosaurs. Beyond that, MacLaren has done little to represent the concerns of his constituents, preferring to focus on arcane issues such as property rights.

One gathers that not all of MacLaren’s Queen’s Park colleagues would be heartbroken if party members chose a new face this spring, and the party is fortunate to have an outstanding candidate in Merrilee Fullerton.

If the PC party hopes to win the next election, it needs to present solid policies on issues that matter to people and none is more important than health care. This is Fullerton’s main strength. She has a broad grasp of health policy as well as the practical experience gained from more than two decades as a physician. She is particularly interested in improving health care for seniors and recently retired to look after her own elderly parents.

“I grew up in this area and was a family doctor in Kanata for 26 years. I understand service, duty and responsibility. I am very committed to the people here,” Fullerton says.

Fullerton is not overly partisan, but if you are a doctor and have some common sense, it’s difficult to support what the Liberals have done in health care, which she calls “a betrayal.” Fullerton is running a positive and optimistic campaign, stressing her qualifications for the nomination rather than criticizing MacLaren. “We always have to believe we can make things better,” she says.

In contrast to the fictitious supporters MacLaren used to feature on his website, Fullerton counts among her backers prominent local conservatives such as Jackie Holzman, Marjory LeBreton, Coun. Allan Hubley, former PC cabinet minister Claude Bennett and his brother, party fundraiser Thom Bennett, former broadcaster Lowell Green and a considerable number of other leaders within the riding.

Kanata-Carleton is no slam dunk for the PCs. The riding has had its boundaries changed and is now significantly less rural, with Kanata dominating. It is also held federally by the Liberals.

In Fullerton, local PCs have a potential candidate who is modern, urban and articulate about health care. That’s exactly the kind of person the party needs, not just to win the election, but to govern the province.

MacLaren declined an interview, but released a statement saying that the nomination challenge is a sign of a healthy and vigorous democracy. It is indeed, and it’s time for a change for the better in Kanata-Carleton.