Appeals to fringe could alienate mainstream Conservatives
Who would want to lead the Conservative Party?
For those who watched the recent debate amongst the Conservative Party leadership hopefuls, you must be wondering why anyone would want the job.
Since the party’s founding in 2004, with the exception of the 2006 elections, the leader has been turfed after losing just a single election. In contrast, the NDP let Jagmeet Singh have a do-over.
Stephen Harper realized he would have to expand his base of voters, by offering a welcoming “bigger tent.” Unfortunately, this just attracted the fringes.
The party has a structural problem. In the next general election, either of the centrist candidates (Jean Charest and Patrick Brown) will be undermined by the “radical right” and lose their jobs. The leading rightist candidates (Pierre Poilievre and Leslyn Lewis) are unlikely to be embraced by voters in a general election and will also lose their jobs.
Much like patronizing a favourite restaurant because of the tasty French fries while overlooking the more important main menu items, the Conservatives have attracted the anti-maskers, the anti-vaxxers, those against COVID restrictions, the proabortionists, supporters of the fossil fuel industry, climate-change deniers and gun-rights promoters.
They tend to be single-issue voters and are viewed as “tribal” as their life revolves around their pet concern and they attract fellow members of their “tribe.” They are out of step with mainstream voters.
Political parties came about as a result of politicians with similar platforms combining to assume power, rather than individual candidates offering a confusing array of competing ideas.
By striving to be a “big tent” centrist party, the Conservatives are constantly divided by MPs and riding associations promoting their tribe.
I do not know much about Poilievre, but I am told he is an affable fellow despite his self-cultivated persona as an “attack dog.”
He supported the recent Ottawa “Trucker’s Convoy” protest. At the debate, he was at first criticized for this support, then attacked for not supporting the protest early enough.
Charest was booed by the rightwing crowd when he characterized the blockade as unlawful. Yikes. Infighting over the backing of an illegal blockade, which most Canadians objected to.
Each debater was questioned on his/her position on abortion, despite the majority of Canadians’ support of the abortion status quo.
Big issues of climate change, health crisis, inflation and national debt, were ignored while the knives went into each other’s backs.
Past leader Erin O’Toole tried to move the party more to the centre. He was undermined by his own party on gun control and vaccine mandates and lost the unnecessary 2019 election and then his leadership. If the Conservatives actually pick a sensible leader, Canadians will worry about the crazies hijacking party policy to support their fringe ideas.
Interim leader Candice Bergen recently said “We don’t give them a home in our party by becoming Liberal-lite. We welcome them to our Conservative home by being consistently Conservative.” She needs to stop the party from continuing down the U.S. Republican-lite path.