Forced to backtrack on recognizing Israel’s capital, ends interview after question about Tweet.
Peter MacKay’s campaign is off to a rough start.
While his initial speech was decently received by some, his earlier seizure-inducing campaign graphics, and continuing odd campaign messaging raised some eyebrows.
Then, he said he couldn’t commit to recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, despite that being Conservative Party policy, which he was forced to backtrack on quickly.
His Twitter account sent out a Tweet criticizing Justin Trudeau for about $800 in yoga expenses from a time before Trudeau was even PM. The Tweet was totally ratioed and sparked a big backlash, and MacKay threw his campaign staff under the bus and said he didn’t see it.
Then, his staff ended an interview with a reporter after she asked about the Tweet. MacKay said she was just doing her job, but still ended the interview:
While MacKay and his team seem confident that the race is already in the bag, and are clearly well-funded, his slow start is raising some serious doubts.
Meanwhile, Erin O’Toole is off to a strong start, taking positions that resonate with Conservatives and sharing most of his messages directly through videos.
Ironically, MacKay’s weak start could be good news for the Conservative Party. The more competitive the race, the less chance there will be of a coronation, which means voters will have a real debate, a real choice, and more democracy.
Spencer Fernando
Photo – YouTube
