Columnists
The Irrelevance of Mr. O’Toole
Erin O’Toole has got off to a slow start. On the evening he was elected Conservative leader, problems with the balloting system pushed the broadcast of his leadership acceptance speech into the wee hours of the morning, well past everyone’s bedtime.
On top of that, he assumed the Conservative leadership in August, 2020—just before the second wave of the coronavirus was about to work its magic and dominate the news. Then in September, he and his wife were diagnosed with the virus.
The public attention that has come Mr. O’- Toole’s way has been largely to watch him trying to perform the magical trick of weaning himself off right wing conservatism despite having assured the right wing of the party during his campaign that he was their man.
Mr. O’Toole’s lack of profile is exacerbated by the fact that the theatrical spectacle that is Question Period has been downgraded by the remote version necessitated by social distancing. It all feels less immediate, and warrants less attention. As a result, there has been little interest in his positions on the pandemic.
But he has a bigger problem still. The government is in emergency mode; and for some strange reason, it is not asking for his help in managing it. He can’t really offer up much criticism of the government’s strategy without it backfiring on him. Canadians are having enough trouble coping with the marching orders they have been given: they don’t have time to listen to other people telling them the orders are wrong. And he has nothing with which to convince people he could do better job
In a way, Mr. O”Toole has become irrelevant. The media would sooner hear from infectious disease specialists rather than opposition leaders. However, it is not in his interest to fight this. He should bide his time, saving the criticism until the emergency subsides and all the facts are in. Then question the government, vigorously, on its management of the crisis, raising issues such as vaccine delivery, manufacture in Canada, the appropriateness of protective measures and the bottomless deficit.
For their part, the Liberals have played their cards cleverly, and perhaps a bit cynically. They kind of like running things by executive fiat. Decisions can be made more quickly, and more money can be spent, without the messy delay of Parliament and Parliamentary oversight. There has been no suggestion of forming a government of national unity that would include Mr. O’Toole and his party, and other leaders and their parties (although in fairness to the Liberals, no one could confidently predict the scope and duration of the emergency at its outset, and Mr. Trudeau has not shirked the press). Whether a government of national unity should have been constituted is something the academics will doubtless feed on when the pandemic is past.
I will be watching Mr. O’Toole to see if he keeps his criticism focused and delivers it at the appropriate time. I will be watching Mr. Trudeau to see not only how he manages the crisis, but also how he handles Mr. O’Toole’s inevitable stinging questions. I hope that the questions get raised and addressed before the next election, so that I can take Mr. O’Toole’s measure.
In the meantime, Mr. O’Toole might be best advised to keep a low profile, and build on the smart move he made to line up for a day with other ordinary taxpayers to receive a COVID-19 test, rather than go to the VIP express checkout. He could do what an ordinary Canadian would do and make himself useful, roll up his sleeves and, say, drive a car to run errands for shut-in seniors for the duration of the crisis. It would sure beat being Opposition leader.
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