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Fellow Conservatives: We Dumped Racist Lynn Beyak, Kellie Leitch Must Be Next

We need to continue to divest ourselves from any politicians that have espoused the politics of hate and division.
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Recently, federal Conservative party leader Andrew Scheer booted controversial senator Lynn Beyak from the party caucus for refusing to take down racist comments on her (publicly funded) website. This was an appropriate and overdue punishment for the controversial senator. Andrew Scheer made a clear statement that racism would not be tolerated by the Conservative Party.

Hopefully, the next move will be made by the Simcoe-Grey Conservative riding association. It seems they will have an opportunity to nominate somebody other than repugnant MP Kellie "I have 22 letters after my name" Leitch to represent the party in the next election.

Kellie Leitch, then a Conservative Party leadership candidate, speaks during the final Conservative Party of Canada leadership debate in Toronto, Ont.
Bloomberg via Getty Images
Kellie Leitch, then a Conservative Party leadership candidate, speaks during the final Conservative Party of Canada leadership debate in Toronto, Ont.

A couple things you should know about me. I am a long-standing Conservative voter. It has always surprised me that so many immigrants generally have supported the Liberal party. When I turned 18 and told my friends that I intended to vote Conservative, they all looked at me and said, "What? You're an immigrant and you're not voting Liberal?"

But here's the thing that most people don't realize about immigrants. In terms of their value systems, my personal experience is similar to this American study that suggests immigrants are more conservative, and willing to consider any political party. While there is a perception of immigrants coming to Canada to take advantage of our social welfare system, the opposite is overwhelmingly true.

Why then has the Conservative party struggled to connect with this population?

Most immigrants work hard and believe that if you put in extra effort in you should be rewarded. More immigrants start small businesses (the lifeblood of our economy) than non-immigrants. Many come here to get AWAY from excessive government intervention in their lives and freedoms. Most immigrants I know are also socially more conservative. Certainly most of my family and their friends believed in much stronger laws against criminals.

A belief in rewarding hard work, limited government intrusion into your life, being tough on crime, holding up traditional social values — sounds like an ideal Conservative voter, no? So, why then has the Conservative party struggled to connect with this population?

I believe it's because a small minority of extremely racist, anti-immigration types have, in their rantings, targeted the liberals first, and created the impression at times that they are mainstream Conservative members (which they thankfully and clearly are not).

Kellie Leitch, then a Conservative leadership candidate, speaks at Queen's University in Kingston, Ont., on March 20, 2017.
THE CANADIAN PRESS IMAGES/Lars Hagberg
Kellie Leitch, then a Conservative leadership candidate, speaks at Queen's University in Kingston, Ont., on March 20, 2017.

Which brings me back to the odious Kellie Leitch, who happens to be my member of Parliament. In her years as my representative she has disgraced herself and the Conservatives by (in no short order):

At any rate, it appears that there is some hope on the horizon for the Conservatives. In a surprising turn of events, the abhorrent Leitch is actually being challenged for her party nomination by two outstanding candidates. Usually, incumbent MPs (particularly former cabinet ministers) are nominated by acclamation.

Dr. Gillian Yeates, who herself is a Harvard graduate, is attempting to wrest the party nomination from Leitch. I personally know Gillian very well and she's an outstanding candidate who's articulate and well-spoken. The icing on the cake is that Yeates happens to be a brown woman of colour (her family is from the Indian state of Goa), which would help ease the lack of diversity on the current Conservative front bench.

Also running is Essa Township Mayor Terry Dowdall, who has a long history of service to the community. As a small business owner himself, he has firsthand experience in knowing what the proposed small business tax changes will do to Canadians.

Residents of Simcoe Grey who want to vote out Kellie Leitch need to join the Conservative Party by Thursday, Jan.25, 2018 at 5 p.m., and can do so by clicking on this link.

Kellie Leitch speaks during the opening night of the federal conservative leadership convention in Toronto on May 26, 2017.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Fred Thornhill
Kellie Leitch speaks during the opening night of the federal conservative leadership convention in Toronto on May 26, 2017.

Canadians are slowly coming to the realization that while current Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is exceptionally good at taking selfies and crying on demand, his intelligence and judgement are seriously being called into question by his numerous missteps. It is therefore essential that the Conservative party provide a viable national alternative to the Liberals. More importantly, they MUST appeal to all people who believe in reduced government intervention, increased personal freedoms and a climate that promotes business growth by allowing those who take risks to reap rewards.

In order to do that, the Conservatives need to continue to divest themselves from any politicians that have espoused the politics of hate and division. Removing Lynn Beyak was the first step. For the sake of a party that I've always supported and desperately want to win next time, Kellie Leitch must be the next to go.

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