CPC leader Should Speculation, O’Toole pro-lifers not science, declares “I’m hide their is destroying pro-choice” religion? liberty p. 2 p. 5 p. 7 $5.00 Canada’s Life and Family Newspaper October 2020, Vol. XXXVII No.7 The choice p. 4, 8 www.theinterim.com PAGE 2 — THE INTERIM, OCTOBER 2020 Socons Erin O’Toole and and the CPC the direction of the CPC Paul Tuns terms of total votes, the two life candidates dropped off free votes for MPs. We’ll wait Analysis socially liberal candidates the ballot.” and see: nearly every lead- had more points. O’Toole, This is not the first time ership contender promises On August 24, Erin O’Toole based on his strength in this has happened. Andrew free votes for caucus. Few won the Conservative Party Quebec, where there are 75 Scheer won in 2017 because actually follow through on of Canada leadership, most- ridings but relatively fewer of down-ballot support he that promise. ly on the strength of support members (about 13,000 of received from Brad Trost Debates and votes are as a second- or third-choice the party’s 270,000), kept and Pierre Lemieux vot- meaningless, however, if of pro-life and other socially him in contention. ers. Scheer would not have pro-life MPs and the socially or all the post-election hand-wringing about whether conservative members of the As Campaign Life won if the pro-life stalwarts conservative base, are not Fsocial conservatism was, in the words of Peter MacKay, party who voted for Derek Coalition noted in its lead- had not signed up so many allowed to win policy argu- the “stinking albatross” that cost Andrew Scheer Canada’s Sloan and Leslyn Lewis. ership election analysis, “of grassroots supporters in the ments. Freedom to speak premiership in 2019, the Conservative Party of Canada’s O’Toole was behind course, it is the points that first place. up about issues and vote leadership race revealed, once again, that social conserva- presumptive frontrunner one’s conscience is not the tives are an invaluable and inexorable part of the coun- Peter MacKay after the first point; freedom to win, if try’s conservative movement. and second ballot. On the they can muster the num- While a self-described “pro-choice candidate,” Erin first ballot, Campaign Life bers, is the minimum con- O’Toole emerged as the victor; his win can be directly Coalition green-lit candi- dition social conservatives linked to down-ballot support from voters who had ini- dates Sloan and Lewis com- should accept. Pro-life and tially opted for the race’s two pro-life candidates, Derek bined for 35 per cent of pro-family Conservatives are Sloan and Leslyn Lewis. the points and nearly 40 asking for a level playing While O’Toole and MacKay agree on social issues, the per cent of the votes. (Each field on which they can win, split came down to O’Toole’s stated willingness to stand riding in the Conservative whether it be in a nomi- up for conscience rights for those in his caucus, in con- leadership race is worth 100 nation fight or in a policy trast with MacKay’s frequent wavering on (among other points, which are divvied up battle. things) free votes for members of parliament. by the percentage that each Erin O’Toole’s first days It’s the ranked ballot that gives social conservatives candidate gets locally.) Leslyn Lewis announced Derek Sloan was not as leader were not promis- such a strong voice, which is why the trajectory from this O’Toole garnered that she will run in Haldimand- included in Erin O’Toole’s ing. In his first press con- year’s leadership race elicits déjà vu. down-ballot support by Norfolk. shadow cabinet. ference, O’Toole declared, It’s the same path that delivered Andrew Scheer a nar- repeatedly saying during “I won the leadership of row victory in 2017, nudged over the finish line by sup- the campaign that he would matter, but everyone has to Scheer was not rated pro- the Conservative Party as a port from Brad Trost’s and Pierre Lemieux’s voters. It is respect the views of social acknowledge this popular life by CLC in 2017, nor was pro-choice Conservative MP, also what even more narrowly gave Doug Ford the edge conservative voters and MPs, vote is a strong indicator O’Toole in 2020. But Scheer, one with a strong mandate. over Christine Elliott in the PC Party of Ontario’s 2018 and that he wanted to lead of the strength of the pro- because of his pro-life That’s how I’m going to lead leadership race, thanks to Tanya Granic Allen’s kingmak- a truly big tent party that life Lewis’ support.” And, it record as an MP and O’Toole as the leader of the oppo- ing. included pro-life and pro- should be noted, a strong because of his gestures of sition.” That talking point These stories are all too familiar to Canada’s social con- family conservatives, and indicator of the size and tolerance toward pro-lifers won praise from the pro- servatives, yet they stand in stark contrast to the narrative that his party had “no alba- importance of the socially compared to MacKay, were abortion leader of the NDP, that persists about conservative politics – or Conservative trosses.” That last remark conservative base in the not vociferously opposed Jagmeet Singh. O’Toole is politics, rather – in the mainstream media. was a pointed reminder party. Both Lewis and Sloan by the socially conservative playing to the wrong crowd. There was no shortage of current and former that MacKay blamed social said they were pro-life and base within the party. The In his first print inter- Conservative staffers lining up to appear on CBC and conservatives for the Liberal offered a suite of pro-life lesson is clear: one cannot view, O’Toole reiterated that CTV after the last election talking about the importance re-election in 2019, when policies; they were both win the leadership of the he would walk in a pride of pushing back against the ‘social conservative stuff’ in he called the pro-life issue outspoken about parental Conservative Party when parade if police are allowed the next generation of the party. “They don’t speak for the the “stinking albatross rights, conscience rights, opposed by social conserva- to participate and that one Conservative party as a whole.” “They are a loud minor- around the neck” of the and freedom of speech, and tives. of his priorities was allow- ity.” “We need to be more inclusive.” Conservative Party because critical of the LGBTQ ideol- Yet, social conservatives – ing men who have sex with Variations of these observations were ubiquitous then-leader Andrew Scheer ogy, including bans on con- who help decide leadership men (as it is designated) to throughout the course of the race, yet here we are with had formerly held pro-life version therapy. races and make the bulk of donate blood. (And lest you a Conservative leader elected in no small part due to a views (never mind that CPC As the media noted on grassroots volunteers – are think he sounds liberal on mandate from social conservatives. leader Scheer vowed to the night of the leadership still often treated like sec- moral issues but is other- O’Toole courted them and MacKay ran against them. not reopen the issue if he announcement, O’Toole ond-class members within wise conservative, he told The results speak for themselves. formed government). won because he had the the party. O’Toole was not the Globe and Mail that he O’Toole’s position on conscience rights is a ten- Sloan was eliminated backing of socially conserva- hostile to social conserva- would balance the budget able one in that it preserves the oft-cited Big Blue Tent after the first round, but not tive voters who voted first tives, but the tolerance he “in a decade or so” and that approach to the Conservative party. It’s supposed to be before winning about 15 per and foremost for pro-life showed was not backed by another priority is increas- the canopy under which red Tories and blue Tories, social cent of the points. Lewis leadership contenders. CLC much in terms of policy. ing immigration.) conservatives and libertarians can all get along and wave had an impressive show- was blunt: “Erin O’Toole O’Toole has done nothing to None of this is new. the same banner in an election. Yet despite the promise ing on the second ballot owes his leadership win to indicate that social conserva- O’Toole was given a red of making a more ‘inclusive’ conservative party, it seems once two-third of Sloan vot- the fact that far more of tive values will be the basis light from CLC because of the red Tories are the ones who want the tent to be only ers were re-apportioned to Lewis and Sloan’s points got of Conservative Party policy. his track record on abortion large enough to fit everyone but values voters in it. her, and although she leapt reallocated to him than to He will tolerate some debate and transgender “rights” so I can’t recall ever hearing a socially conservative MP or over O’Toole and MacKay in MacKay once the two pro- within the party, promising See ‘Social‘ p. 10 leadership candidate publicly rebuke any other faction of the party. They don’t expect a 100 per cent socially conservative party – just a party that remains a home for social conservatives.