And when you consider how close the previous conservative leadership contest came to choosing libertarian Maxime Bernier, you would think the party leaders would be wary.
Did nobody in the federal conservatives wonder why Andrew Scheer was chosen at that time on the 13th count of a preferential ballot. Did no alarms go off as to why? If you get an inadequate leader the first time you use a preferential ballot, why use the same bad idea the next time?
And why does Erin O’Toole remind me of those old Elmer Fudd cartoons? You know the one when Elmer goes out hunting and he “thought he saw a Wabbit!”
You have to admit that there was not as much choice in the leadership contest that chose O’Toole. It quickly came down to Peter McKay and Erin O’Toole, which is not much to choose from.
But choosing by preferential ballot, you often get the least contentious candidate. It is the only method of voting that consistently produces losers.
O’Toole’s biggest problem is that even his own caucus have low expectations of him. Their major hope going into this coming election is that O’Toole might keep Trudeau to a minority government. That is going to be difficult when he has major provincial conservative leaders with their own agendas.
And you can bet that when Justin Trudeau drops by Calgary and Edmonton this summer, he will be interested in more than good barbeque. He is hoping a couple of Alberta’s retiring mayors will take the opportunity to join him and his liberals in Ottawa this fall.
-30-
Copyright 2021 © Peter Lowry
Complaints, comments, criticisms and compliments can now be sent to: