There are only a few weeks left before the new leader of the Conservative Party is elected. Currently, less than 40% of members have voted. Our party has become the most important political movement in contemporary Canadian history. And yet, the majority of you still haven’t filled out your ballot.
Posted at 11:00 a.m.
So I would like to address those members for whom this is the case. I applied because I deeply love this country. I proposed new ideas and I traced a path likely to make us win the next elections, and this, by adopting a clear and authentic tone. It is essential that we can have a serene debate of ideas within our party. Only in this way will we earn the trust of Canadians and attract high caliber candidates.
I have had the opportunity to interact with thousands of members of the Conservative Party and it seems obvious to me that the Conservatives should be the standard bearers when it comes to national unity — especially when it comes to western alienation — health, religious freedom and reproductive choice, family, law and order, defense, security, economic growth and national sovereignty. In the eyes of a majority of Canadians, there are things much more important than the defense of an abstract conception of freedom. If we want to defeat Justin Trudeau’s Liberals, it is essential that we listen to this majority of voters and that we provide serious and credible Conservative leadership.
My platform responds to both the concerns of the Conservatives and a majority of voters. The policies it contains are likely to be realized as soon as we take power, which could happen much sooner than expected.
My main opponent, Mr. Poilievre, took a radically different approach from mine. Instead of offering concrete solutions to the legitimate suffering that many Canadians are experiencing, he preferred to fuel more such suffering. It has continued to fuel the unease and sense of alienation felt by many Canadians and which COVID-19 has only accentuated.
Liberal failure
It is no coincidence that Maxime Bernier was able to garner enough support to form a new political party and run under its banner in the last election. It’s also no coincidence that Mr. Poilievre was able to sell membership cards to those who have a strong affinity with Mr. Bernier’s leadership style. Resentment has been latent in a category of the population for a long time now.
Even if my vision of the world is not quite the same as theirs, I refuse to brush aside their point of view. If the slogan “take back control of your life” appeals to them, it is because the current government has failed in terms of leadership. This failure is the work of one man: Justin Trudeau. The pandemic has given him two years to further divide Canadians. He has indeed continually pitted Canadians against each other, be it the vaccinated and the unvaccinated, the pro-maskers and the anti-maskers, the privileged and the most vulnerable or the East and the West.
While Mr. Trudeau got elected promising sunny days, he became one of the least inclusive prime ministers in the country’s recent history, simply to stay in power. Canadians have legitimate reasons to be disappointed with Mr. Trudeau.
Our party will not win the next election if it simply exploits people’s fears, as Mr. Trudeau did.
We will not win a majority government if we alienate large sections of the electorate by cultivating identity politics. Mr. Bernier’s electoral failures are clear proof of this. This is what the main polls show. Nor will we win the next election by imposing tests of ideological purity.
Canadians are looking for a leader who, as Prime Minister, can assume his responsibilities and make the difficult decisions that come with that office. They are looking for a Conservative leader who can win the next election and thus defeat Mr. Trudeau’s Liberals. That is exactly what I am offering members of the Conservative Party.
I offer a platform that will broaden the base of our party so that we can form a national majority government. The stakes in this race are far too high to take risks. If you are a member of the Conservative Party and still haven’t filled out your ballot, I ask that you fill out this ballot with me as your first choice and mail it today.
* Jean Charest was leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1993 to 1998, federal deputy prime minister in 1993 and premier of Quebec from 2003 to 2012.