Conservative party checks in with grassroots on core policy ideas

Scheer and his front bench have already announced.

“To win, our campaign platform must reflect Conservative values, speak to the needs of everyday Canadians looking to get ahead, and present a positive vision for our country’s future,” the letter, penned by national campaign manager Hamish Marshall, reads.

“I need you to help me write the Conservative party election platform that Andrew Scheer and his team of candidates will take directly to the voters in a few months.”

But the issues the Conservatives’ grassroots are being asked about, in most cases, are already stated policy. For instance, members are asked if they agree or disagree with recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel — a controversial position taken by U.S. President Donald Trump in 2017, and suggested by Conservative foreign affairs critic Erin O’Toole a few months later.

The membership was asked if they believe police need “more resources” to tackle violent crime and gangs. In December, Scheer pledged more federal money for police to do just that. The survey asks if Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is wrong to “propose a blanket ban on all hand guns in Canada.” The Liberals are studying that possibility, but have yet to actually propose a blanket handgun ban.

If these are already stated policies of Scheer’s Conservatives, would dissenting voices from the membership cause them to reverse course in an election year? Cory Hann, the party’s director of communications, said the letter was simply an attempt to sound out the membership’s priorities.

“The appeal letter is a chance for members to give their feedback, give us an idea of priority of some items to members, and provide thoughts on possible other commitments we can put in our platform,” Hann wrote in a statement to the Star.

“The platform is still in development and will be released later. (But) we’ve made no secret of some of the commitments that will be in there, and Mr. Scheer has talked about these extensively across Canada in his time as leader.”

The survey tests the membership’s temperature on Conservative pledges, like making “tax relief a top priority,” approving pipelines, and throwing the book at accused terrorists who return to Canada.