Ontario Conservatives Should Champion Canadian Heritage

Ontario’s election is called for February 27th. Premier Ford has made a mistake in not defending Canadian history from attempts to topple statues and rename schools bearing the names of historical figures including Henry Dundas, Egerton Ryerson, and Sir John A. Macdonald. Ontario conservatives must not allow Bonnie Crombie to fill the gap, positioning herself as a defender of Canadian history and values.

Bonnie Crombie: from progressive ideologue to Canadian nationalist?

During the campaign, Bonnie Crombie has come to the defence of Sir John A. Macdonald’s legacy. During an appearance on Toronto Today’s 640 Radio, Crombie spoke out about how the Macdonald statue outside Queen’s Park has been covered up from public view: “Outside Queen’s Park, there’s a statue of our very first prime minister, John A. Macdonald, the founder of our country. but you wouldn’t know that because Doug Ford put a box around him five years ago”, Crombie said on the radio show.

Ford has allowed statues of Macdonald, Ryerson, Dundas, and Queen Victoria to be vandalized, attacked, or erased with little opposition since he became premier in 2018. Ontario has seen Sir John A. Macdonald statues torn down in Kingston, Picton, and Hamilton, and the statue on the lawn of Queen’s Park has remained encased in a box since August 31st, 2020.

Canada’s largest school board, the Toronto District School Board (TDSB), is planning to change the names of three public schools commemorating Henry Dundas, Egerton Ryerson, and Sir John A. Macdonald. “This recommendation is based on the potential impact that these names may have on students and staff based on colonial history, anti-indigenous racism and their connection to systems of oppression”, says a report from TDSB bureaucrats.

Ford’s education ministers, Stephen Lecce, Todd Smith, and Jill Dunlop, have done a poor job opposing the woke ideologues who are attacking Canada’s founding leaders. They simply haven’t done enough in Ontario’s curriculum or in press releases to put forward a positive vision that celebrates Canadian heritage and culture.

During this time of multiplying economic, cultural, and political threats to the future of Canada, our politicians need to prioritize promoting and protecting Canada’s heritage and values. Politicians need to fight back against the woke mob. According to one poll, 57% of Canadians say the country “spends too much time apologizing for residential schools”. In another poll, 55% of Canadians had a favourable view of Macdonald and were opposed to the removal of his statues. 67% of people who know Macdonald have a favourable impression of him. 

It’s time for Canadians who love our country to take back our political institutions. This starts with pressuring our leaders to respect Canada’s founding prime minister and cultural leaders. 

Conservatives must be proactive leaders in defending Canadian heritage, or risk embarrassment when progressives champion it first.

A final note: excluding party leaders from debates is bad for the democratic process

Voter turnout in Ontario has been atrociously low in recent years, with only 56.67% participation in 2018, and 44.06% in 2022. This deficit in civic duty and political literacy points to public apathy, disillusionment, and cynicism.

The Ontario Leaders’ Debate will feature Doug Ford (leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario), Bonnie Crombie (leader of the Ontario Liberal Party), Marit Stiles (leader of the Ontario New Democratic Party), Mike Schreiner (leader of the Ontario Green Party). 

The debate, however, is notably missing Derek Sloan (leader of the Ontario Party) and Jim Karahalios (leader of the New Blue Party of Ontario). This comes after the federal Leaders’ Debates Commission changed its criteria to exclude Maxime Bernier, leader of the People’s Party of Canada from the upcoming federal leadership debates, whenever they are set to take place. 

Debates are a core element of a healthy democracy. Having more party leaders on the debate stage would encourage discussion, accountability, and voter engagement – and provide a more widely varied contrast of ideas that more accurately reflects the political landscape of Ontario.