O’Toole leadership begins in self-isolation
Conservative leader stuck at home with COVID-19 ahead of throne speech
OTTAWA— Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole says his COVID-19 diagnosis is a reminder of the need for “vigilance” as regions across Canada enter the pandemic’s second wave.
Speaking to the Star on Tuesday from self-isolation in his Ottawa home, O’Toole said he recognizes that politics needs to be done differently during the global health crisis — even as the House of Commons prepares for an unprecedented pandemic sitting.
“The fact that a couple parts of the country right now, Ontario and Quebec, are peaking (in the number of cases), as MPs we have to not just adhere to the rules but to make sure we’re practising the highest standards and not exposing inadvertently other people,” O’Toole said, his voice betraying few signs of illness.
“It’s sadly a wake-up call that the pandemic remains and we could be on the edge of what looks like a second wave.”
This isn’t how O’Toole expected his first month as Conservative leader to go. His leadership began last month with a 1:30 a.m. acceptance speech, away from the prime-time lights after a delay in the leadership vote. Now the month is ending with him stuck in self-isolation.
When Parliament meets for the Liberal government’s throne speech Wednesday, O’Toole will be isolated in his basement home office — where he has spent most of his time since early last week, when a staffer who accompanied him on a recent “mini tour” of Quebec tested positive for COVID-19.
It will be up to deputy leader Candice Bergen and the party’s front bench to provide the Conservatives’ initial response to the throne speech. O’Toole said he hopes to return to the chamber on Sept. 29.
O’Toole is passing the time by working remotely, listening to music and perfecting a pandemic playlist that includes the
Smiths, the War on Drugs and Grimes.
His isolation began after returning from Quebec. O’Toole said he was enjoying some family time with his wife, Rebecca, and their two children when he got the news that the staffer was going for a COVID-19 test. His immediate concern, he said, was isolating from his family.
But the Conservatives revealed Tuesday that Rebecca tested positive after developing symptoms over the weekend. In a statement, she said that it’s particularly important for people with autoimmune diseases — she has inflammatory arthritis — to take precautions as the country enters a second wave of COVID-19. O’Toole’s children, Mollie and Jack, have been kept out of school while the family isolates, and will have to take another COVID-19 test soon.
O’Toole’s comments came on the eve of Parliament returning with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberals set to deliver athrone speech that is expected to lay out ambitious plans to rebuild Canada’s economy as the pandemic continues.
The progressive mantra of “building back better” has been bandied about to describe the tone and thrust of the speech, which will be Trudeau’s third agenda-setting mission statement in five years. But with COVID-19 surging in major centres like Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal, plans for rebuilding after the pandemic might have to wait.
Ontario reported 478 new infections Tuesday, the highest number of daily new cases since the province was under strict lockdown orders in May. Politicians and public health officials are warning of a second wave of the deadly virus, just as public schools reopen.
O’Toole experienced firsthand last week the frustrations of being turned away from a COVID-19 testing site that had reached capacity, and the anxiety of waiting for results. He told the Star the experience has made him a better leader during the crisis.
“Now I can actually, in my role as opposition leader, relate to the frustrations of people in hours’ worth of lineups here in Ottawa. I can relate to the stress of having COVID in your home and you’re worried about your children,” O’Toole said.
“It’s kind of hard not to think about what happens if (Rebecca and I) aren’t well. You know, we have family and friends not far away. (But) all these tough decisions make me a better leader.”
When asked if there’s anything Trudeau and the Liberals could say in the throne speech to win his party’s support, O’Toole said he would wait to hear the government’s mission statement before passing judgment.
“Our main concern is what’s going to be left out of the speech. We’re fearful that literally millions of Canadians will be left out of the speech,” O’Toole said, referring to the natural resource industries the Conservatives champion.
O’Toole said he recognizes that politics needs to be done differently during the global health crisis