Lakeland Conservative MP Shannon Stubbs knows there is some work to be done in introducing her party’s new leader to Canadians. Erin O’Toole was elected last Monday garnering 57 per cent of the vote in the third ballot, beating out Peter MacKay who finished the race just shy of 43 per cent of the party vote.
Not exactly a household name, O’Toole has been an MP since 2012, representing the Durham constituency in Ontario. He is a former Veteran Affairs Minister during Andrew Scheer’s tenure.
The Conservative leadership campaign failed to get a lot of attention from Canadians at a time when they are mostly consumed with navigating the COVID-19 minefield. Stubbs acknowledges this and recognizes O’Toole will need to hit the ground running, especially if the Liberals do call a fall election.
The MP said she does not have the sense that Trudeau will call an election so early into the government’s term but during these unprecedented times nothing would surprise her.
“That will be a challenge for us introducing him to Canadians quickly if the prime minister sets us up for a fall election. I have no sense on whether he will do that or not,” she said, while acknowledging there could be a reason for making such a play at this time.
“I can certainly see the rationale of the government now that they’ve prorogued. They have stopped all the committee work after not having Parliament sit with its full scope and power for the previous five months. You could see Canadians don’t really know Erin O’Toole, they could catch us and the other parties off guard – maybe couch that in a pitch that he needs a new mandate not even halfway through the term.”
Stubbs said she took a sideline during the Conservative leadership race, staying neutral and watching it unfold, unlike that of the previous one where she actively campaigned to get votes for Andrew Scheer.
She admits to being disappointed by how Scheer was treated by both insiders and others following his failed bid to win government last year, believing that the party did not give him a fair shake. It is important to note, she said, that while the election may have been lost to the Liberals, under Scheer the Conservatives won the popular vote – garnering the most votes of any leader of our party before that. She said it also should not be ignored that the party had historic finishes in many ridings and Scheer set fund-raising records during his election bid.
“To close off that chapter, I was quite frustrated with the way that things were handled with Andrew and how he was treated after the election, both in public and by national media, but also within our own party. I wish that we had at that time as a group collectively defended and asserted better all the gains that were made under his leadership.”
As for O’Toole’s win, Stubbs is pleased and said she was particularly excited to learn that on his first day on the job during a conversation with the Prime Minister, O’Toole raised the issue of western alienation.
“The number one thing he raised was western alienation and I was very grateful to see that because I think Conservatives need to be the leaders in a discussion about structural change in the country, to have a better deal for Alberta.”
Stubbs said she is increasingly hearing the frustration from her own constituents regarding Alberta’s treatment at the hands of Ottawa.
“This is something the federal government can’t ignore – this is a direct result of people’s lives collapsing in front of them.”
She also values O’Toole’s focus on Canada’s position in the world and threats to the economy, the private sector and way of life from non-democratic, non-free allies abroad.
“Erin O’Toole has raised this issue and he’s extremely clear-eyed and strong in terms of prioritizing Canada and working together with free and democratic allies,” she said, adding he recognizes threats to the Canadian economy from outside interests, particularly those of China.
Having served as the Conservative shadow minister for Natural Resources, Stubbs has a keen interest to continue in that role with O’Toole. He has just established his primary staff and advisor team. The next step will be to determine his shadow cabinet.
“It has been a great honour and responsibility to be in this position. I have worked on the Natural Resources file since 2015,” Stubbs said, adding the portfolio “reflects issues that are crucially important to people and businesses in communities right across Lakeland.”
