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By Mel Rothenburger

ARMCHAIR MAYOR

ROTHENBURGER: Conservatives looking like the gang that couldn’t shoot straight

May 21, 2020 | 4:47 AM

KAMLOOPS — THE CONSERVATIVE LEADERSHIP race has entered a new phase with the cutoff for acquiring new party members having just passed.

As polls show the Conservatives with declining support since last fall’s federal election, they need a boost, and a leadership race would normally provide that.

But with the COVID-19 pandemic, and Justin Trudeau in the daily spotlight with his media briefings, the Conservative leadership is an almost invisible non-event.

There are other reasons, too, one of which is the disturbing presence of MP Derek Sloan among the four leadership contenders. He’s the guy who recently posted a video online demanding that federal health officer Dr. Theresa Tam be fired, asking rhetorically, “Does (she) work for Canada or for China?”

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Sloan has defended these remarks, saying they weren’t based on Tam’s race or sex but, at the least, they reveal poor judgment, the kind the party could do without.

Instead of distancing the party from Sloan, outgoing leader Andrew Scheer hides behind the mantle of objectivity in the leadership race.

B.C. Interior MPs Cathy McLeod and Dan Albas and a few others deserve credit for objecting to Sloan’s ridiculous remarks.

The Conservatives, however, have other problems. Scheer, it has been revealed, has quietly backed out of his pledge to renounce the U.S. half of his dual citizenship.

Asked about it Tuesday, he would say only that since he isn’t going to be prime minister, ending his U.S. citizenship isn’t necessary. That sounds just a trifle disingenuous.

And then there’s former health minister Rona Ambrose and her decision to join the board of the U.S.-based e-cigarette giant Juul. With so much concern about the potential health risks of vaping, a reasonable question would be, “What was she thinking?”

At a time when it should be regaining momentum, the Conservative Party of Canada is looking more and more like the gang that couldn’t shoot straight.

I’m Mel Rothenburger, the Armchair Mayor.

Mel Rothenburger is a former mayor of Kamloops and a retired newspaper editor. He is a regular contributor to CFJC Today, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a director on the Thompson-Nicola Regional District board. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.

Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group.