My hope is that this government works as a modified coalition government, seeking input from all parties to forward with policies to strengthen Canada.
Poilievre has the opportunity to learn from the party’s loss (acknowledging his commitment increased their seats and popular vote) and his personal loss in his riding. He is first and foremost ferocious in supporting Canada as a great nation. He will be a great statesman who will continue to serve Canada well in Opposition. Poilievre will lay to rest the fears of voters that he was only “an attack dog.” He and the CPC have much to offer Canada in the coming years. He won’t be the first politician who suffered personal defeat before becoming a great leader. The next few years could well be the making of a Canadian legend.
For a government to work in coalition, members of all parties have to conduct themselves with respect for others, in words and deeds. Mr Poilievre has shown himself to be fundamentally uninterested and/or incapable of doing so. The word “statesman” does not apply.
Instead, what Poilievre has offered to Canada, throughout his career, amounts to asinine slogans, populist dog whistling, grievance-based politics, a vacuous and destructive economic vision, regressive social policy notions, and division... all wrapped in smug derision and occasionally packaged and excused under the idiotic media epithet of “attack dog”.
If the CPC is to have a serious role in Canada’s future, it needs to lose Poilievre’s brand and the entire creeping culture of hateful populism that enables it.
Mr. O’Toole, you are being too kind. The current CPC leadership team does not share your sense of decency and honour. We all know the reaction of Jenny Byrne to your courteous message to Liberal Anita Anand.
You also know that PM Carney will govern from the centre, and his economic policies are quite acceptable to progressive conservatives.
So, it is time to put country over party. I encourage you to join the Carney government in anyway you can, to help with the multiple challenges we face over the next 5-10 years.
Use your considerable influence among the progressive wing of the conservative party, because I am not too confident that the current CPC leadership will be willing or able to do it.
Mr. O’Toole, if anyone should have been offered a second bite of the apple, so to speak, it should have been you. I’d consider voting Conservative if you were leading them, but never will I vote for Poilievre. The rank partisanship, attacks on the media, and browbeating our amazing country is no way to lead. Poilievre has not only engaged in such despicable behaviour, but has made it his brand. Personally, I’d expect reasonable members of the party to stand up to this behaviour and show some moral integrity. Alas, this is not your Conservative party and, based on your story, I don’t think they’d be your Dad’s Conservatives either.
No matter what he's learned from this election or how he tries to change his public persona many us us will remember who Pierre is because he's already spent 2 years showing us.
Loyalty and its twin humility are the unsung heroes of a society that glorifies rugged individualism ahead of determined collaboration and debate. Loyalty and humility in action are pillars of liberty and democracy. Great message Erin.
"In unity there is victory" - great quote and advice. Do you still weld influence with both the federal and provincial (AB) version of 'conservative' parties? Or, have they both slid too far into Populist Party territory?
Great article. I wish you could have been the leader of the CPC to grow the centrist vote. I can only hope that the right wing base is at its saturated point.
Thank you Erin. Like me you are center right. Having said that, should the Liberal minority survive a full term, a hell of a lot of the okder left wing Liberal Boomers will be gone. The Liberals will continually lose their base. The Liberals ONLY hope will be IF Carney choses to govern from the center left and drops a lot of the far left nonsense that continues to permeate within the LPC back rooms.
You're the last Conservative leader I might have voted for and this piece is a good indication of why.
Most especially the antagonistic approach, constant sniping, belittling the opposition, the automatic gainsaying of anything the other person says, is not progressive and does not set us up for a cooperative, mutually beneficial future. No matter what our politics, we should be able to have respectful conversation, exchange ideas and endeavour to improve lives for all. The rage farming approach we have seen for the past number of years is very divisive.
My father was an army Captain in WW2 and a staunch Conservative. After the war my parents came to farm in Canada, in Orono. I remember my kids astonishment when their Grandmother told them about him heckling Lester Pearson at a meeting! However this was also a man who would stop on a rainy evening and pick up a couple of hitch hikers. Who never made any racist comment that my sisters or I can recall. We brought a hugely diverse range of nationalities into our home over the years, no matter their political stripe or colour they were welcomed, fed and we had wide ranging conversation.
Having said all that, I absolutely know that father would have been appalled at the attitudes and antics of current Conservatives. He would have found the orange blob to be utterly abhorrent. He would have found Poilievre to be childish and shallow.
In other words, he'd be described as a red tory. I'd be in the same category. I suspect Mark Carney would be also. Until the CPC can regain that ground they'll not be palatable to me.
Indeed, this election in particular has made me come to believe we need electoral reform, forcing parties to work cooperatively rather than leaving more than half of the population disenfranchised each time.
Today his government just passed a bill eliminating the cruel testing of animals by Dr Fauci’s NIH. I bet CBC won’t tell you that. However, Trump does say a lot of crazy stuff.
Absolutely, well said! I come from a family that, though not politically active, leans largely to the NDP (in BC where I live, and federally). I’d probably be considered a ‘lefty’, but in my region much of the centrism has been choked out anyway. Mr Carney’s actions and words so far have given me cause to re-appraise the red-Tory / centre-left space, which may become more of an option where I live. So you and I may disagree on a range of policy issues, but I’ll take respectful dialogue over antagonism and division any day. And I will work hard to keep my contributions respectful and constructive.
That said, yeah, ‘orange blob’… that’s perfectly fine by me.
I can appreciate that, but you're throwing mud in the face of actual human artists by using AI generated garbage. It's unethical and insulting to anyone who uses their actual intelligence and imagination to bring art into the world. Art feeds the soul and should only be created by those with one.
It’s a shame you couldn’t have been more relatable and charitable when you were leader. Indeed, you engaged in your fair share of Trudeau bashing.
Yes, it’s country over party as it always should be, which is how Carney won an election against a petty, juvenile populist who has spent the last decade hurling insults, lies and out of context half truths onto the floor of the HoC not to mention elsewhere. In his 20 year political career, he has introduced ONE bill which ended up getting squashed by the courts, so I’d like to know how you think he could ever lead a nation
I’m unclear on that last last part. As for the polarization comments, you’d better believe Canadians are polarized. And how do you think we got that way?
The CPC needs to be retooled after this election and the upcoming by-election for Pierre
My hope is that this government works as a modified coalition government, seeking input from all parties to forward with policies to strengthen Canada.
Poilievre has the opportunity to learn from the party’s loss (acknowledging his commitment increased their seats and popular vote) and his personal loss in his riding. He is first and foremost ferocious in supporting Canada as a great nation. He will be a great statesman who will continue to serve Canada well in Opposition. Poilievre will lay to rest the fears of voters that he was only “an attack dog.” He and the CPC have much to offer Canada in the coming years. He won’t be the first politician who suffered personal defeat before becoming a great leader. The next few years could well be the making of a Canadian legend.
For a government to work in coalition, members of all parties have to conduct themselves with respect for others, in words and deeds. Mr Poilievre has shown himself to be fundamentally uninterested and/or incapable of doing so. The word “statesman” does not apply.
Instead, what Poilievre has offered to Canada, throughout his career, amounts to asinine slogans, populist dog whistling, grievance-based politics, a vacuous and destructive economic vision, regressive social policy notions, and division... all wrapped in smug derision and occasionally packaged and excused under the idiotic media epithet of “attack dog”.
If the CPC is to have a serious role in Canada’s future, it needs to lose Poilievre’s brand and the entire creeping culture of hateful populism that enables it.
Mr. O’Toole, you are being too kind. The current CPC leadership team does not share your sense of decency and honour. We all know the reaction of Jenny Byrne to your courteous message to Liberal Anita Anand.
You also know that PM Carney will govern from the centre, and his economic policies are quite acceptable to progressive conservatives.
So, it is time to put country over party. I encourage you to join the Carney government in anyway you can, to help with the multiple challenges we face over the next 5-10 years.
Use your considerable influence among the progressive wing of the conservative party, because I am not too confident that the current CPC leadership will be willing or able to do it.
Mr. O’Toole, if anyone should have been offered a second bite of the apple, so to speak, it should have been you. I’d consider voting Conservative if you were leading them, but never will I vote for Poilievre. The rank partisanship, attacks on the media, and browbeating our amazing country is no way to lead. Poilievre has not only engaged in such despicable behaviour, but has made it his brand. Personally, I’d expect reasonable members of the party to stand up to this behaviour and show some moral integrity. Alas, this is not your Conservative party and, based on your story, I don’t think they’d be your Dad’s Conservatives either.
No matter what he's learned from this election or how he tries to change his public persona many us us will remember who Pierre is because he's already spent 2 years showing us.
You are sorely missed in public life sir.
Loyalty and its twin humility are the unsung heroes of a society that glorifies rugged individualism ahead of determined collaboration and debate. Loyalty and humility in action are pillars of liberty and democracy. Great message Erin.
You are a tool. You did absolutely nothing for canada!
This social media platform is intended for intelligent debate. Are you capable of that? If not, X is calling your name.
Let's debate what you did not do for Canada! Please name one thing you did while you were the leader of the conservative party?
Excellent column. I admired your father as an MPP and your contributions to trying to broaden the appeal of the federal party during your leadership!
"In unity there is victory" - great quote and advice. Do you still weld influence with both the federal and provincial (AB) version of 'conservative' parties? Or, have they both slid too far into Populist Party territory?
Great article. I wish you could have been the leader of the CPC to grow the centrist vote. I can only hope that the right wing base is at its saturated point.
Damn!! You just jinxed Leafs nation!!
Thank you Erin. Like me you are center right. Having said that, should the Liberal minority survive a full term, a hell of a lot of the okder left wing Liberal Boomers will be gone. The Liberals will continually lose their base. The Liberals ONLY hope will be IF Carney choses to govern from the center left and drops a lot of the far left nonsense that continues to permeate within the LPC back rooms.
He’s already governing from the center left, which is why a lot of those Lib boomers voted for him.
What is your point?
Bullshit. But if that's the narrative you wish to believe...do carry on.
Appreciate that. At this time we need some Political Unity from all Parties.
Was thinking of CD Howe in these trying times.
You're the last Conservative leader I might have voted for and this piece is a good indication of why.
Most especially the antagonistic approach, constant sniping, belittling the opposition, the automatic gainsaying of anything the other person says, is not progressive and does not set us up for a cooperative, mutually beneficial future. No matter what our politics, we should be able to have respectful conversation, exchange ideas and endeavour to improve lives for all. The rage farming approach we have seen for the past number of years is very divisive.
My father was an army Captain in WW2 and a staunch Conservative. After the war my parents came to farm in Canada, in Orono. I remember my kids astonishment when their Grandmother told them about him heckling Lester Pearson at a meeting! However this was also a man who would stop on a rainy evening and pick up a couple of hitch hikers. Who never made any racist comment that my sisters or I can recall. We brought a hugely diverse range of nationalities into our home over the years, no matter their political stripe or colour they were welcomed, fed and we had wide ranging conversation.
Having said all that, I absolutely know that father would have been appalled at the attitudes and antics of current Conservatives. He would have found the orange blob to be utterly abhorrent. He would have found Poilievre to be childish and shallow.
In other words, he'd be described as a red tory. I'd be in the same category. I suspect Mark Carney would be also. Until the CPC can regain that ground they'll not be palatable to me.
Indeed, this election in particular has made me come to believe we need electoral reform, forcing parties to work cooperatively rather than leaving more than half of the population disenfranchised each time.
You talk about being respectful, then you use the words, ‘the orange blob’.
Yes, that's as respectful as I can be given the stuff he says
Today his government just passed a bill eliminating the cruel testing of animals by Dr Fauci’s NIH. I bet CBC won’t tell you that. However, Trump does say a lot of crazy stuff.
Absolutely, well said! I come from a family that, though not politically active, leans largely to the NDP (in BC where I live, and federally). I’d probably be considered a ‘lefty’, but in my region much of the centrism has been choked out anyway. Mr Carney’s actions and words so far have given me cause to re-appraise the red-Tory / centre-left space, which may become more of an option where I live. So you and I may disagree on a range of policy issues, but I’ll take respectful dialogue over antagonism and division any day. And I will work hard to keep my contributions respectful and constructive.
That said, yeah, ‘orange blob’… that’s perfectly fine by me.
I hope that all Canadians are able to read this article. I have a great deal of respect for Mr. O’Toole.
Please don't use GenAI.
The PM in an Oilers jersey would not have fit my opening :).
I can appreciate that, but you're throwing mud in the face of actual human artists by using AI generated garbage. It's unethical and insulting to anyone who uses their actual intelligence and imagination to bring art into the world. Art feeds the soul and should only be created by those with one.
You are correct but it seems a battle that was lost before it started.
It’s a shame you couldn’t have been more relatable and charitable when you were leader. Indeed, you engaged in your fair share of Trudeau bashing.
Yes, it’s country over party as it always should be, which is how Carney won an election against a petty, juvenile populist who has spent the last decade hurling insults, lies and out of context half truths onto the floor of the HoC not to mention elsewhere. In his 20 year political career, he has introduced ONE bill which ended up getting squashed by the courts, so I’d like to know how you think he could ever lead a nation
Should I retire to Xitter as well?
Another example of polarization as well. ‘I like you know that I agree with you’ is something I hear often.
I’m unclear on that last last part. As for the polarization comments, you’d better believe Canadians are polarized. And how do you think we got that way?
You know exactly how we got that way.
Yes. Social Media and algorithms.
And humans of the Pierre Poilievre et al persuasion. And you know that.