OTTAWA — Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole says that while he sees many problems with the Liberal government’s handling of pandemic, he won’t be pushing for an election until the COVID-19 health and economic crisis is under control. When the time comes for Canadians to cast their ballots, he says his party will be ready.
“We have to get through the health and economic crisis of COVID-19 before we go to the polls,” said O’Toole in an interview on CTV’s Question Period with host Evan Solomon.
“I think we will be a clear voice for Canadians that deserve an ethical government with a plan for the future of building Canada, but I don’t think we should have an election, until we’ve rounded that corner in this, the biggest crisis of all our lives,” he said, though the Conservatives have voted against the government on several recent confidence votes that saw the Liberals propped up by other opposition parties. “I’ve been putting structures in place in our party to make sure we’re ready, we’re united, we’re a government waiting.” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has also indicated he has no desire to call a snap general election anytime soon, but this week, the minority Liberals took a step towards setting up the logistical parameters to do so.
Heeding recommendations from Canada’s chief electoral officer, the government has tabled a series of “temporary” Canada Elections Act changes that would allow weekend voting and an expanded mail-in-voting system, among other health and safety accommodations.
With the House of Commons now on hiatus until late January, there won’t be a chance to advance these election changes for over a month, meaning under the timeline in the bill, the earliest these new measures could be in place would be late April or early May.
That’s when federal officials say the beginning of Canada’s mass vaccination effort will begin in earnest, eyeing between April and June for up to 19 million people to be immunized for COVID-19.
By then, it’s likely the federal government will have tabled its 2021 federal budget, which Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland has promised will include more details on their plan for a national daycare program, and how the Liberals intend to spend up to $100 billion on economic stimulus.
O’Toole said in this weekend’s interview that he’s anticipating the next election will be fought on which party has the best “plan for the future.”
“We need Canadians working, we need to build things in this country and be proud of getting people back to work. That’s, I think, what the next election will be about,” he said. “We have to send a signal that jobs and investment are welcome in our country coming out of the pandemic.”
O’Toole said that is where his ongoing opposition to the federal carbon tax is coming from.
With new details unveiled last week that include a decade of increases to the federal carbon tax as part of the plan to reduce emissions and meet Canada’s climate targets, O’Toole said that “taxation in a time of crisis is not a solution.”………
“The environment matters a lot to me. I worked on these issues in the private sector, as a dad to young kids it’s important,” said O’Toole.
Source: dawn.com
