TORONTO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 27th August, 2020) New Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) leader Erin O'Toole cannot beat incumbent Prime Minister Justin Trudeau if he abandons the social conservative base and its values, former candidate for a leader of the CDC Richard Decarie told Sputnik.
On Sunday night, Ontario Member of Parliament Erin O'Toole won over Defense Minister Peter MacKay in the quest in the quest to assume the CDC leadership position and replace outgoing leader Andrew Scheer. One of the major sticking points in the race was the place of social conservatives in the party.
Some pundits have argued that CDC under Scheer lost an election that was effectively handed to them on a platter because of his socially conservative leanings.
However, others have disagreed, saying that Scheer's alienation from the social conservative base have largely contributed to its electoral defeat.
"No, he won't [win] because there is not much difference between the two. If the liberals are making differences, it will be to respond to their political base," Decarie said about a possible O'Toole match up with Trudeau in a Federal election.
Decarie explained that the CDC will challenge liberal policies, especially regarding Canada's sinking economy, in the traditional conservative principles O'Toole represents.
"That will be the deal-breaker, but I don't think it's going to be enough to beat the Liberals," he said.
Decarie pointed out that to win the next federal election, the CDC leader will have to keep the party's sizable base energized or risk losing volunteer support and other parts of the party apparatus.
Polls suggest that O'Toole has an uphill battle ahead of him despite Trudeau and his Liberal government being embroiled in the WE Charity scandal. The support for Trudeau comes largely on the strength of the government's generous COVID-19 economic support programs and friendly state-funded media coverage.
The perceived media bias has increasingly come under consideration, with O'Toole vowing to defund the state broadcaster and urging supporters to follow independent Conservative media, such as the True North Center for Public Policy and The Post Millennial.
Decarie said he agrees with this saying that the Canadian media landscape - almost entirely the recipient of a government subsidy program implemented by the Trudeau government - has an inherent bias against conservative values and those who embody them, and that more independent media is needed.
The 2020 Conservative Party leadership race saw the highest number of votes cast - 174,849 - in a leadership contest in Canadian history.
An new federal election can be triggered as early as September 23, when the Liberal government presents its long-term novel coronavirus economic recovery plan via a throne speech. Trudeau's recovery plan will then be put to a vote and a fall election could be called, if the speech does not get a vote of confidence.
