(OTTAWA) If federal politicians aren’t wary of the dangers of ‘show politics’ and the hunt for social media ‘likes’, we could well see the decline of Canadian politics, warns Erin O ‘Toole.
The former Conservative leader and Ontario MP took advantage of his last speech in the House of Commons on Monday to ask his fellow politicians to focus on the real issues that determine the future of Canada.
And they should be doing that instead of “seeking to nurture divisive algorithms” – as too many elected officials currently do in his view.
“We rely more and more on the number of likes to measure the popularity of an MP, when it is on the number of lives changed in the real world that we should rely,” said said Mr. O’Toole.
“Spectacle politics fuels polarization. Too often, we use this Chamber only to get the “clip”, rather than to discuss serious issues. »
Mr. O’Toole will leave federal politics at the end of June, after being first elected in a by-election in 2012.
Before the Tories were ousted from government in 2015, the trained lawyer was appointed Minister of Veterans Affairs at a crucial time for that ministry, as the country was adjusting to the return of soldiers who fought in Afghanistan.
After the 2015 election defeat, Mr O’Toole decided to aim for the leadership of the party, placing third in his 2017 leadership race which aimed to find a successor to Stephen Harper. He finally won his bet in 2020, at the end of a campaign he had to lead at the height of health restrictions linked to COVID-19.
Mr O’Toole led the Conservative campaign in the 2021 federal election, which saw the Liberals elected in a minority government. The Conservative leader was then ousted from his role as leader in early 2022 by members of his caucus, after several months of internal conflict.
His successor as party leader, Pierre Poilievre, told the Commons on Monday that Mr O’Toole “remains a recognized member of our party”. He also thanked him for his years of serving Canadians.
During his farewell address on Monday, Mr O’Toole spoke of the extremely divided climate he saw during the 2021 election campaign, blaming some of the blame on social media.
“Social media did not build this great country, but they are starting to tear down its democracy,” he warned.
He also warned that if parliament is not wary of their power, the next generation of voters will never have faced dissenting opinions.
“Too often today we allow conspiracy theories about the UN or the World Economic Forum to pass unchallenged,” O’Toole said.
“We are becoming followers of our followers, when we should be leaders. »