Rookie Derek Sloan Emerges Strong from CPC Debates

It’s time for the Conservative party to adapt to the times, and when I say that, I don’t mean changing social or fiscal policy.

What we need to be asking ourselves as conservatives is not just ‘who best represents our values’—but who can best present those values on camera. This may sound like a shallow concern, but it is not. We need to heed the lessons of Donald Trump’s 2016 electoral campaign and Trudeau’s 2019 re-election victory over Andrew Scheer. 

In both of these elections, a critical factor within the winning party was their leader’s ability to perform or ‘act’ on TV. It’s no secret that one of the only things Trudeau can do correctly is flip his hair on television for his swooning electorate. It’s equally undeniable that decades of being a reality TV star gave Trump the edge over his opponents.

Taking this into consideration, it’s undeniable at this point that both Dr. Leslyn Lewis and Peter MacKay will fail in the general election, for both have next to no camera presence. 

Dr. Leslyn Lewis simply isn’t ready for prime time; her pacing is challenging to listen to (it’s that boring), and she looks at her notes far too much. 

Peter MacKay’s speaking style is equally dull. Perhaps he would’ve worked well twenty years ago, but his speaking style no longer comes off as genuine in 2020. 

This is a critical issue and, if ignored, will pose a grave risk to the CPC. Electing a candidate that is criminally boring to listen to will result in disaster. 

In this regard, given our television/social media-saturated world, there can only be two realistic competitors: Erin O’Toole and Derek Sloan. 

Both of these candidates appear to be natural and skilled speakers on camera. 

Sloan gave a surprisingly good performance during the French debate despite only having studied French for a few months, and O’Toole’s French is more than adequate. However, he gave a disappointing performance during that debate, spending much of the time bickering with MacKay over LGBT minutiae.  

Although O’Toole gave a strong debate performance, I believe Sloan eked out a close win in the debates for several reasons. 

Sloan appeared polite, but also assertive and confident in his opinions. Particularly impressive was the defence of his position to improve relations with Donald Trump, and the U.S. Sloan justifiably pointed out how Trudeau and his administration has damaged our relationship with the Americans. 

This was refreshing to see because, at least as a conservative, I’m not only sick but bored of the constant Trump-bashing we see across Canadian mainstream media outlets. It was incredibly refreshing to hear someone with a realistic view of the President speak out.

Although a junior member of the House of Commons, Sloan also went on the attack against the more senior members about fairness and possible manipulation within the leadership race, specifically challenging MacKay on the issue of candidates Richard Décarie and Jim Karahalios having been thrown out of the race unjustly at an earlier stage, leading to suspicions of possible corruption within the CPC’s election process. 

Again, it was refreshing to hear a candidate bring forward these common-sense points, and, in this case, stick up for his party members.

Despite Sloan’s strong performance, it cannot be denied that Erin O’Toole had a great night as well. 

Something that stood out explicitly in his favour was the only decent answer on the issue of whether ‘systemic racism’ exists in Canada. This is an unpopular issue with conservatives, and O’Toole was the only one who didn’t seem to pander on the issue, while also not being disrespectful or dismissive. 

O’Toole also gave a strong voice to Canadian armed forces, achieving a standout moment when he challenged Trudeau’s military policy, hearkening back to Canadian participation at Vimy Ridge in the process. 

In the end, however, I must hand this one to Sloan. 

O’Toole gave a weak closing statement in comparison to the rest of his debate, while Sloan gave a persistently robust and confident performance throughout, finishing strongly.

Agree or disagree on the issues, Sloan won the debate handily, and if he’s elected CPC leader, he’ll surely give Trudeau a fight in the next election.