Erin O'Toole (rdnewsNOW/Sheldon Spackman)

By James Dunn

former cabinet minister

O’Toole visits Red Deer on Conservative leadership campaign

Feb 27, 2020 | 3:32 PM

Another Conservative leadership hopeful made a stop in Red Deer on Thursday.

Erin O’Toole is the current MP for the Ontario constituency of Durham. O’Toole is a former military officer for 12 years who was first elected as an MP in 2012 and served as Minister of Veterans Affairs under Stephen Harper.

O’Toole ran in the last CPC leadership race in 2017, finishing third to Maxime Bernier and winner Andrew Scheer.

“I’m known as someone that gets things done, I haven’t been in politics my whole life. I’ve actually got some experience that I’m bringing, and with the issues the country is facing, I think we need a non-career politician.” O’Toole said Thursday after speaking to some Red Deerians at the Toad and Turtle.

O’Toole believes his being a non-career politician gives him the edge to become leader of the only right wing party in the House of Commons.

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“I’ve worn a uniform, I’ve worked with small businesses, large businesses. I bring real experience, and with Canada in such a crisis now from an economy with these blockades, the changing worlds scene, Russia and China. We need a Prime Minister that can lead Canada to prosperity and keep the Conservative movement united. I think I’m the only one in the race that can do that,’ he says.

O’Toole also pointed out he is more conservative than his leadership race opponents, and is a big supporter of the oil and gas industry and tackling rural crime.

“The biggest issue with rural crime is it comes from the economic disruption and despair we see. The first thing we need to do is get people working again,” he remarked. “The second thing is we do need to make sure the resources are there with the RCMP and with municipal forces where possible, and to make sure that the concerns of people in rural Alberta are heard. Our MP’s have been bringing this forward. I’m open to anything that will help tackle these rural crime issues.”

O’Toole says Canada needs a Prime Minister who is proud of working Canadians.

“Whether they work in the oil patch, on pipeline construction, in the softwood lumber industries, in Ontario, the auto and manufacturing industry, hundreds of thousands are being displaced from the bad policies of Justin Trudeau, nowhere more than in Alberta. I’m going to renew a pride in getting things done; building up Canada, doing projects.”

He continued, “This leadership is about having a principled, conservative leader; not going to the mushy middle as some might like. It’s about the future, it’s 2020, it’s not about going back to people who have been a leader 15-17 years ago. It’s about where we’re going in 2030 and 2040.”

Fellow leadership hopeful Peter Mackay made a stop in Red Dee earlier this month.

Conservative Party of Canada members will select a new leader on June 27.