Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has tackled the wrong opponent. He is trying to besmirch the bona fides of David Johnston. He has picked the wrong target. He is attacking the epitome of Canadian conservatism. How does he explain that to his older conservative base?
David Johnson was born in Copper Cliff, Ontario before the INCO superstack was built. His family later moved to Sault Ste Marie, where he played high school hockey with the Esposito brothers. He went on to Harvard University in the United States to play hockey and earn a BA. He has law degrees from Cambridge and Ontario’s Queens University. He has taught law at Queens and the University of Toronto. He was dean of law at Ontario’s Western University. He also taught at Montreal’s McGill University after serving as principal and vice-chancellor. And along life’s road he fathered five daughters and wrote or co-wrote 25 books. He was appointed Governor General of Canada in 2010 on the recommendation of conservative prime minister Stephen Harper. He was asked to stay in office an additional two years by liberal prime minister Justin Trudeau.
And, to be honest, I don’t give a hoot for his being made a Commander of the Order of Canada. David Johnston would be recognized as a great Canadian anywhere other than in Pierre Poilievre’s mirror.
Mr. Poilievre demeans himself in trying to defame Mr. Johnston. He can hardly sneer at Mr. Johnston’s academic career. I have never heard of the conservative leader playing hockey. I have never heard of him doing anything worthwhile. He has never held a job that was not political.
It is hard to believe that Poilievre would be so foolish as to sneer at a man such as David Johnston for being friendly with Justin Trudeau. It strikes me that Mr. Poilievre is a man who desperately needs friends.
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Copyright 2023 © Peter Lowry
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