Article content continued

There’s no provincial organization to speak of in British Columbia or Quebec. In Alberta, Jason Kenney appears set to be chosen Progressive-Conservative leader on pledge to end its existence. There’s not a sitting Tory premier in any of the four Atlantic provinces. Only Ontario’s opposition leader, Patrick Brown, can boast a certain advantage, based mainly on Premier Kathleen Wynne’s deep unpopularity and the fact Ontarians know too little about Brown to hold it against him yet.

If anyone is looking to Ottawa to stir some enthusiasm, they’re living more on hope than good sense. Last week’s Tory performance in the debate on Islamophobia was a sad display of a party that’s not only lost its sense of self, but its political sensibilities as well.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or

The Tories had a good point to make: the term “Islamophobia,” as used in the Liberal motion, is so broad and ill-defined it could mean anything. If four people apply for a job and the lone Muslim doesn’t get it, is that Islamophobia? If a cartoonist depicts a mad bomber as vaguely middle eastern, is that Islamophobia? If an activist who self-identifies with Islam feels demeaned in a social setting, is that Islamophobia?

The motion was nothing more than a self-serving Liberal play for sympathy among the growing Muslim community, in much the same way the Conservatives worked diligently to win over ethnic and immigrant voters during their nine years in office. If the Tories had supported the motion, or just stayed home, it would have been quickly approved and forgotten, unnoticed by 99% of Canadians. “Are we against hatred? Yeah, we’re against hatred. Next order of business…”