As a liberal/Liberal, I believe Canada deserves a credible centre-right Official Opposition.
But we haven’t had that under
@PierrePoilievre’s leadership over the past 3+ years. Instead, we’ve seen “His Majesty’s Loyal Opposition” become full-out populist, moulded to the vision of one man devoted to tearing down government, beating up on Canada and pitting “elites” against the “common people.”
I was no fan of Stephen Harper and his gov’t; in fact, he motivated me to get involved in Liberal politics as a teenager. But Harper’s administration sought to represent diverse demographics and regions in this country.
Harper also built a strong team empowering moderates within his ranks, placing many of them at the centre of his gov’t: people like James Moore, Lisa Raitt, Lawrence Cannon and the late great Jim Prentice.
But we see none of this focus under Poilievre’s leadership. The party is incredibly narrow and myopic in scope, lacks key representation in places like Quebec, Nova Scotia, Toronto and the North; moreover, it lacks leading moderate figures with their own political brands — like the ones that were so key to the Harper government’s political successes over a decade.
Earlier this week, when several Conservative strategists dismissed CPC MP Chris d’Entremont’s move to cross the floor to Carney’s Liberals as the decision of a “mushy Red Tory” (who was likely a Liberal all along), I was genuinely dismayed.
Such harmful rhetoric demonstrates just how far Poilievre’s Conservatives have descended into a populist right wing stew, singularity unable to recognize, let alone appreciate the value that diverse perspectives ought to be contributing to Canada’s conservative movement.
#cdnpoli