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Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole is defending his party’s commitment to diversity after questions were raised about the issue at his daily news conference.
Following the release Monday of the party’s plan to deal with puppy mills, a journalist noted that the word “puppy” appears more often in the party’s platform than the words “racism” or “systemic racism” of which there is no mention.
Mr. O’Toole was asked what this says about the party’s priorities.
The Tory Leader said he had been reaching out to all Canadians since he became leader last year, and that he has spoken out on antisemitism and Islamophobia and racism.
“I will fight for Canadians who have not had fair treatment,” he said.
Without providing statistics, Mr. O’Toole said the party has the most diverse slate of candidates who would help tackle issues around racism and inequality.
The issue was previously raised on Aug. 21 in Edmonton when a journalist, at one of Mr. O’Toole’s news conferences, asked about the absence, in the plan, of specific plans to combat systemic racism and deal with issues facing diverse communities.
The journalist noted that most in-person rallies during the western swing at that point had been short of representation.
Mr. O’Toole cited his conversation, the previous night at a Saskatoon rally, with a couple from India who arrived 42 years ago and expressed pride in being Canadians and Conservatives.
He reiterated his interest in connecting with all Canadians.
The NDP platform includes a section on “Confronting Racism” that commits to such measures as taking on white-supremacist and neo-Nazi groups with a national action plan, convening a national working group to counter online hate, and prioritizing the collection of race-based data on health, employment, policing and more and working with the provinces and territories to develop and enforce effective employment equity legislation. The Liberal Party has not yet released their full platform.
TODAY’S HEADLINES
AFGHAN RESCUE - A plane carrying Afghan translators, including one who worked for The Globe and Mail and another who served the Canadian military, as well as their families, has arrived in Kyiv following a daring operation by Ukrainian soldiers stationed at Kabul airport.
LEADERS ON AIR IN QUEBEC - Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole faced a barrage of questions about the views of his candidates on climate change and social issues as he and four other federal leaders participated in back-to-back live French language television interviews Sunday evening.
TORY CANDIDATE DROPPED - A Conservative candidate in Nova Scotia has withdrawn from the federal election after allegations of sexual assault surfaced on social media. Story here.
MAIL-IN LOOMS AS VOTING OPTION - Several million Canadians are expected to cast ballots by mail for the first time during this federal election – a pandemic-era shift that’s forcing the major political parties to change the way they’re reaching voters and altering the timing of their campaigns. Story here.
PALLISTER OUT AS PREMIER THIS WEEK - Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister, who announced his intention earlier this month to step down, plans to leave office Wednesday and have the Tory caucus choose an interim leader ahead of an Oct. 30 Progressive Conservative leadership vote. Story here.
THE ELECTION IN QUEBEC - Chief political writer Campbell Clark assesses the federal-election campaign dynamic in Quebec where the strength of the Bloc Quebecois could determine who forms the next government. Story here.
O’TOOLE FACES QUESTIONS ABOUT INCUMBENT’S “CLIMATE LOCKDOWN” CLAIMS - Federal Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole did not distance himself Sunday from comments made by a long-time member of his caucus who warned constituents the Liberals are preparing for a “climate lockdown.” Story here.
LEADERS
Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet, in Montreal, holds a press briefing on immigration, and a second briefing on gun control, visits the Maisonneuve Market and meets with business owners on Mont-Royal Street.
Campaign-Trail Commitment: Mr. Blanchet presented a strategy to ensure the successful integration of new Quebecers that includes making sufficient knowledge of French a condition for obtaining citizenship from Quebec.
Conservative Party Leader Erin O’Toole, in the Greater Toronto area, made an announcement and held a media availability at Dog Tales Rescue & Sanctuary in King City, and was scheduled to attend an event with supporters in Markham.
Campaign Trail Commitment: Mr. O’Toole released a plan to ban puppy mills, end abuse and violence against animals, and protect the humans who care for them.
Green Party Leader Annamie Paul attends meetings all day.
Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau made an announcement in Granby, Quebec and then travelled to Iqaluit to make campaign stops.
Campaign-Trail Commitment: Mr. Trudeau promised a re-elected Liberal government would spend $1-billion over a decade to restore Canada’s big lakes and river systems.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh made an announcement in Ottawa, and was to attend a meet-and-greet in the Vancouver Island community of Ladysmith.
Campaign-Trail Commitment: Mr. Singh recommitted to a crackdown on “ultrarich” tax dodgers, declaring he would zero in on tax evasion and close loopholes that benefit billionaires. Story here.
ELECTION SPOTLIGHT – PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND
4 seats. At dissolution of Parliament: 4 Liberals.
Don Desserud, political science professor, University of Prince Edward Island.
“Prince Edward Island has been voting Liberal federally for some time now. There’s only one riding, Egmont that has had a Conservative MP in the last little while, a couple of elections ago. It’s pretty safe territory for the Liberals normally. The Liberals seem to know that.
“A lot of the votes on the Island are loyalty votes. It’s a small place. You know your MP. They’re not distant people. They’re your neighbour. People take their politics very personally. And once someone has been elected, they tend to stay elected. To vote against them is seen as a personal insult. There is no real strong ideological politics on Prince Edward Island.
“The COVID issue has more of an impact and it’s not directly to do with COVID. It’s that COVID is revealing the whole problem with health care, in general. The candidates I have spoken to in my riding are all telling me the same thing because I ask them: What are you getting at the door? ' They say health care. Everybody is concerned about the future of health care, the doctor shortage. I know these are provincial matters, but people understand the health transfer is a huge part of the issue, and anything that affects that is going to be a concern.”
“Finally, at this point in the campaign anyway, it doesn’t seem that the Liberal machine is running on all cylinders. There’s no national buzz, no excitement. That’s not helping local Liberal candidates. Is there time left for the Liberals to turn this around? Yes. The other leaders will make mistakes, which the Liberals should be able to capitalize on. And the campaign intensity should increase after Labour Day. But this is a short campaign, so there is time left, but not much.”
ELECTION EXPLAINER: There’s an excellent overall explainer on the election here prepared by Globe and Mail staff, and updated today.
PUBLIC OPINION
Together with CTV and Nanos Research, The Globe and Mail is doing daily surveys to track which party and leader Canadians prefer. Check here for the latest results.
Philippe J. Fournier of 338Canada projects here that the federal Liberals have been falling two seats per day since the campaign began. The Conservatives are the new favourites to win.
OPINION
The Globe and Mail Editorial Board on why it’s a mug’s game for federal leaders, trying to win favour with Quebec City: “It’s in the interest of Quebec’s premier to keep the federal parties on their heels, reinforcing his claim to be the only true representative of the province’s voters. That means that shaping policy in the hopes of pleasing Quebec City rarely pays off. You can be the hero one week, and a bum the next. It would be great if the federal parties figured that out, but we’re not holding our breath.”
Campbell Clark (The Globe and Mail) on how vitriolic protesters give Trudeau a welcome foil and campaign prop: “The protests gave an edge to his usually blah-blah-blah talking points. The Liberal Leader has had a hard time articulating what the election is about, but the protesters gave him something new to point to while he reframed the same answers. People have had a hard year, he said, but he is “resolute” and “firm” on the need to get people vaccinated and address climate change.”
Lloyd Axworthy, Jean Charest, Jennifer Welsh, Jeremy Kinsman and Ben Rowswell (Contributors to The Globe and Mail) on Canada’s need to reimagine a foreign policy for a leaderless world: “For three generations, Canada has had the luxury of a powerful neighbour assuming responsibility for upholding the international order, even as we disagreed with U.S. goals and tactics from time to time. “Foreign Policy By Canadians” showed us that Canadians recognize that simply deferring to the U.S. is not a viable approach, and domestically puts our economy at risk. Instead, Canada should draw on the important relationships we have developed over decades of diplomacy and forge new ones, in order to exercise collective leadership. By working with allies and partners, we can set a pathway to a more effective and equitable international order – if we honour the demands our citizens have for greater global engagement.”
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