‘I’m a doer’ says Conservative leadership candidate O’Toole

March 23, 2017 · 0 Comments

By Mike Pickford

It’s all about building opportunities for the next generation, says Conservative leadership hopeful Erin O’Toole, who made a campaign stop in Orangeville last Thursday to meet with local party members.

Setting up shop at the Nifty Nook restaurant on Highway 10, Mr. O’Toole sat down with the Citizen to discuss why he feels he’s the right person to lead the Tories forward out of the old Stephen Harper regime and into what is sure to be a blockbuster 2019 federal election.

“To put it bluntly, Generation Kickstart is my plan for success. It’s incredibly unfortunate, but the young people of today are facing what I see as a triple whammy – the highest tuition debt in Canadian history, the highest housing costs in Canadian history and the worst employment prospects of any generation in Canadian history,” Mr. O’Toole said. “Worst of all, our current government is saddling this generation with $100 billion of debt. Young Canadians deserve the same opportunity that previous generations had, but in this climate how are they ever going to get ahead?”

His ambitious solution would see all Canadians under the age of 30 who have successfully completed an accredited apprenticeship, college diploma or university degree receive an extra $100,000 in basic personal tax exemption to be used over their first three years out of school. An “extra kick” will be provided to young Canadians with skills in short supply, with their exemption being boosted to $200,000 to be used over their first five years out of school.

“Right now, the government isn’t doing anything to tackle these mounting issues. I want this generation to succeed, but right now the system is broken. We need to completely rethink the way we do things – Generation Kickstart will do that,” Mr. O’Toole said.

Making it his goal to visit every riding in the country prior to the leadership vote on May 27, Mr. O’Toole says it’s vital he hears from grassroots level conservatives across the country.

“That’s the only way to accurately find out what’s going on. I want to meet the good members that support the party I believe in – they’re the backbone of the Conservative Party of Canada. It’s these members that will decide who our next leader is and I want to hear from them,” Mr. O’Toole said.

With an extensive career path which has seen him serve his country as a pilot in the Royal Canadian Air Force before going on to become a lawyer and politician, Mr. O’Toole believes he is the most rounded candidate out of the 14 seeking to become the next leader of the Tories.

“Why do I believe I’m the best person to lead the Conservatives forward? Simply put, every single time I’ve been presented with a challenge, whether it be in my personal or professional life, I’ve met it and got things done,” Mr. O’Toole said. “A number of my colleagues from coast to coast have encouraged me to push forward in this race. Granted, I’m not the most experienced, but what I do bring to the table is quality. I’m a doer and I think that’s what Canadians need right now.”

He added, “Canada has had enough. Canadians don’t want celebrities, they don’t want false promises, they want a candidate that can get results. We can win this next election if we earn back the trust of Canadians. I can see that quite clearly. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau broke his economic promises within three months of taking office. Canadians didn’t vote for a carbon tax, they didn’t vote for $30 billion deficits and they didn’t vote for $100 billion of federal debt.”

“If we show a new positive direction, we can get the people back on board and the country back on track. That’s why I’m running. I think I can embody a Canadian recovery and win the next election,” Mr. O’Toole concluded.

Readers Comments (0)