Leadership also means taking direction

Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole recently told CBC News that a vote by party delegates to reject adding “climate change is real” to the policy book was a disappointment that distracted from the party’s larger plan to levy a price on carbon. He said that was not the outcome he wanted from the convention.

No issue should be considered politically toxic; doing so avoids practical examination of emotional topics, which is unhealthy for our society. Wherever we refuse to deal with emotionally charged issues such as racism, abortion, assisted dying, systemic sexual misconduct, or gay and lesbian persons, we eventually reach a critical point where entrenched biases have to give way.

Then the pendulum of public opinion swings hard in the opposing direction making rational discussion of these topics toxic again, but for different reasons. What should have been a step toward increased empathy, understanding and a more open and inclusive society is destroyed by people intent on revenge for perceived and actual wrongs.

The alleged science underlying global warming and climate change has collapsed. Michael Mann has refused to release details of his climate calculations and modelling for peer review. Without modelling publication and peer review, the IPCC position on climate change is based on worthless junk science.      

O’Toole was elected as leader and spokesman for the Conservative party, but that does not absolve him of a responsibility to listen to delegates representing members. They accepted his speech from the evening before but did not agree with everything he said. Dealing with the rebuke on carbon taxes like a petulant child has cost him support and an election.

We don’t need a leader easily influenced to adopt harmful carbon taxing to appease a vocal minority who have not applied critical thinking to claims put forth by people with vested and conflicts of interest in vilifying the oil and gas industry. Gore and Suzuki have become rich postulating IPCC chicanery.

Enriching foreign charlatans is not in Canada’s best interests.