TRUDEAU AMPS UP ATTACK AS O’TOOLE RISES IN POLLS
Trudeau drops the sunny ways and treads into dangerous territory
What does Justin Trudeau do for an encore?
Much of his media availability in Welland, Ont., on Monday was devoted to belittling Erin O’toole.
It is a sign of how rattled the Liberals are that Trudeau invoked the trifecta of progressive hobgoblins — anti-vaxxers, anti-choicers and climate deniers, all of whom, Trudeau claims, are pulling O’toole’s strings.
“He can’t even convince his party that climate change is real,” Trudeau said, conjuring up the vote at the Conservative policy convention in March, where delegates rejected the statement that “climate change is real” and the party is “willing to act.”
“Canadians are beginning to see that the future being offered by Erin O’toole is a future of wishy-washy weak leadership — he doesn’t stand up for what he actually believes in,” Trudeau said, in reference to the Conservative leader’s flip-flop on the platform commitment to overturn the Liberal ban on semi-automatic weapons, pending a classification review.
“He’s trying to say whatever he can to Canadians to get elected,” the Liberal leader said.
The problem with political attacks is that they are ineffective when they come from someone who is less esteemed than the target. Canadians are just getting to know O’toole. He has proven himself pragmatic or unprincipled (take your pick) on gun control. But he has been clear that he is in favour of vaccinations, a woman’s right to choose and action on climate change. It is becoming apparent that pre-campaign polls suggesting the Conservative leader is unpopular were misleading — he had (and has) a recognition problem, not a popularity problem.
Given the limited number of people likely to switch between the Liberals and the Conservatives, the real battle is over progressive voters who could be persuaded to vote Liberal or NDP.
Despite Trudeau’s best efforts to draw pictures of dragons and sea monsters on the uncharted map of an O’toole government, there is little in the Conservative plan that will scare New Democrats into the Liberal camp.
The promise to rescind the semi-automatic weapons ban was a foolish holdover from O’toole’s “true blue” leadership campaign. It was clear that it would alienate urban voters, particularly in Quebec, and it should never have seen the light of day. It stalled O’toole’s progress for three days but at his news conference on Monday, he was again being asked about things he wants to talk about — such as the commitment to double the Canada Workers Benefit.
O’toole said the promise is worth up to $2,800 a year to low-paid workers, or a $1-an-hour raise. “It’s a win for workers, families and the Canadian economy,” O’toole said.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is probably wishing he’d thought of the idea first.
O’toole has been steadfast in rebuilding his party in his own image — that is, a traditional Red Tory.
In doing so, he is taking a gamble that he doesn’t lose voters he needs in tight races to Maxime Bernier’s People’s Party. The gun control aboutface has probably done wonders for PPC recruitment.
But the calculation appears to be that the bleeding is worth it, if new blood can be recruited from other parties or from among non-partisans.
In response, Trudeau has looked frantic and sounded shrill. The leader who propounded “sunny ways” and the hopeful narrative has been reduced to accusing his rival of saying anything to get elected. Lest we forget, this is the Justin Trudeau who promised electoral reform, the return of peacekeeping, pharmacare, clean drinking water on reserves, Access to Information in ministerial offices, two years of deficits before a return to balanced budgets etc., etc.
This is dangerous territory for the Liberal leader — as is the politicization of vaccination. His position on those who have not been vaccinated is hardening, as he tries to link “anti-vaxxer mobs” stalking his campaign events to O’toole.
“The vague position taken by Mr. O’toole is an issue. He will not demand that people taking a plane or a train are vaccinated. He will not demand
IT’S NOT CLEAR WHAT HE HAS IN RESERVE IF IT DOESN’T WORK.
that the federal public service be vaccinated and he doesn’t even expect that his candidates be fully vaccinated — and that shows that, yes, he’s trying to get votes from anti-vaxxers,” he said.
Can anyone remember a time when the prime minister of a country demonized and delegitimized so many of his fellow citizens?
O’toole said on Saturday that his goal is to get 90 per cent of Canadians double-vaccinated — but by persuading the holdouts, not compelling them.
“The big difference between Justin Trudeau and myself is that I respect people, even if we have differences, to make personal decisions,” he said. “It’s not time to create an ‘us versus them’ approach.”
Trudeau’s success is built on authenticity — in successive elections, a plurality of voters has been convinced by his empathy and positivity.
This time, Trudeau is relying on Project Fear to scare progressives into rallying around the Liberal flag. But this sour campaign isn’t really him, and it’s not clear what he has in reserve if it doesn’t work.