Juno News - June 27, 2022


Why are people supporting Leslyn Lewis？


Episode Stats

Length

8 minutes

Words per Minute

174.43452

Word Count

1,401

Sentence Count

68


Summary


Transcript

00:00:00.000 The Conservative Party of Canada leadership race is well underway, with over 600,000 members signed up and six candidates vying for their support.
00:00:10.100 One of these candidates is Dr. Leslyn Lewis, who ran in the 2020 leadership race and has since become a member of Parliament.
00:00:20.220 Now, the legacy media often likes to ignore Lewis, but we don't.
00:00:25.100 So I went to an event she held at Ottawa's Greenbelt Church to ask attendees some questions, starting with why they are supporting Leslyn Lewis for leader.
00:00:38.040 I've liked Dr. Leslyn since she first appeared on the scene for the first leadership race.
00:00:44.540 I like that she's a woman of integrity, that she honestly answers all questions, that she's not scared and she doesn't run away from things that some people consider political taboo right now.
00:00:55.100 So, yeah, I appreciate her honesty, her integrity.
00:00:58.520 I think she's a good, strong candidate.
00:01:00.720 I was happy to come see her two years ago when she ran for the leadership.
00:01:05.460 And I'm a political junkie, so I like these events.
00:01:09.140 But I really wanted to hear her message tonight, and I wanted to see how she presented to the crowd, and how the crowd received her, and how she handled the questions and answers.
00:01:19.200 I think she did really, really well tonight.
00:01:21.600 She's a strong candidate.
00:01:23.280 She has grown a lot as an MP.
00:01:25.680 And I think that she's going to do very well in the leadership vote in September.
00:01:30.100 I'm really excited to endorse Dr. Leslyn Lewis.
00:01:32.420 She brings an enthusiasm and a value set that I think is really needed in Canada.
00:01:37.460 And she's poised to take on Justin Trudeau in the general election, and I can't wait to see her stacked up against Justin Trudeau.
00:01:46.800 She brings a humility and a desire to lead this country in a good way.
00:01:53.980 I've been following her quite a bit, and so I came on a couple of weeks after she announced her candidacy,
00:01:58.680 because I believe she's principled, I believe she's honest, I believe she's compassionate,
00:02:03.400 and that I believe she has a vision for Canada, to restore Canada to at least what it was, and even I think she'll take it to the next level.
00:02:11.940 Conservatives have lost to Justin Trudeau three times, allowing him to stay in power and put in place policies which some have deemed harmful and divisive.
00:02:22.640 So I wanted to ask the attendees what they think the party needs to do differently in order to win the next election.
00:02:30.740 I think the most important thing is that Conservatives need to be proud about their values and speak out, you know, confidently and not just try to appease the left.
00:02:42.280 I think that that was what was done last time, and it didn't really work out that well.
00:02:47.120 I want a Conservative who's going to speak up for what I believe in, which is, you know, a lot of just Canadian values that I think a lot of Canadians share.
00:02:58.900 I guess they have to stay on message.
00:03:01.020 They have to let the public know exactly what they stand for.
00:03:06.360 Don't make the message too complicated.
00:03:08.380 Make it very simple and understandable, and speak to the basic issues that people are concerned about,
00:03:14.060 like inflation, which is affecting everybody right now.
00:03:16.960 So those bread-and-butter issues, I think, are going to win people over.
00:03:21.160 A number of things is just to remain true to who we are as Conservatives,
00:03:25.880 bring forward policies that will make life more affordable for Canadians,
00:03:30.920 and bring forward policies that make Canada the freest country in the world.
00:03:35.240 Well, I think we as Conservatives need to make sure that we're united as a caucus and as a party,
00:03:40.720 and that we're firing on all cylinders, that we get our message across clearly of hope, love, and compassion.
00:03:48.300 Exactly what Leslin's campaign is all about, hope, unity, and compassion.
00:03:53.180 And I think that's going to be a huge thing.
00:03:54.780 If we can communicate that vision to Canadians, I think they're ready for it,
00:03:58.860 because I think they're tired of Justin Trudeau and all of his cronies.
00:04:01.720 Leslin Lewis is the only pro-life candidate in this leadership race.
00:04:07.680 And legacy media pundits often like to say that the Conservative Party could never win an election
00:04:12.640 with a pro-life platform or a leader.
00:04:15.780 So I wanted to ask these attendees how they see Conservatives winning with a pro-life message.
00:04:21.580 I like the way Leslin talked about it tonight, Dr. Leslin, in that she talked about the fact that
00:04:26.300 we just need to be able to talk about it honestly and openly, that we can find common ground to talk about.
00:04:31.120 I thought that was a brilliant answer.
00:04:33.260 And as she said, there's a lot of Canadians that are willing to talk about the fact that
00:04:36.660 we don't want sex-selective abortion, a lot of Canadians that don't worry that you can,
00:04:40.980 that Canadians are going to the states because they can't find a doctor here
00:04:44.820 that will abort a six-month, seven-month, eight-month-old baby,
00:04:49.240 and so they go to the states for a doctor who will do it there.
00:04:51.980 Many Canadians don't realize that, so I think we can have those conversations and it's okay.
00:04:57.820 I think if it's presented the right way, and as Dr. Lewis said today, it starts with a conversation.
00:05:04.080 So if they can convince Canadians to have the conversation and to talk about legislation
00:05:08.920 and to talk about the issue in an intelligent and kind and respectful way,
00:05:14.560 I think anything is possible, but you have to start somewhere
00:05:17.420 and starting with the conversation is probably the best way.
00:05:21.000 Well, we've never tried it before, so I would say that we look to other countries,
00:05:25.760 we look to the United States, the Republicans are winning, running on a pro-life platform extensively.
00:05:31.420 We look to the UK, even the UK Conservatives are reducing abortion from 22 weeks down to 20 weeks.
00:05:38.260 So these are things that are winning issues around the world.
00:05:41.260 Conservatives are motivated by these issues and would come out to vote in support of an explicitly pro-life candidate.
00:05:48.460 I think it's a matter of education.
00:05:50.840 I think by far and large, Canadians believe that there is protection for Canada's pre-born,
00:05:58.400 and I think when they find out that there's no protection, I think they're actually appalled,
00:06:03.220 and they'd be very willing to have an open and honest dialogue about those issues.
00:06:06.720 I also had the opportunity to interview Dr. Leslyn Lewis,
00:06:11.340 and I asked her some of the questions I had asked the attendees,
00:06:14.760 including what she thinks the Conservatives need to do differently in order to win the next election,
00:06:20.020 as well as how she would convey her pro-life message in light of potential attacks and distortions from the left and the media.
00:06:28.880 Conservatives have failed three times to beat Justin Trudeau.
00:06:31.740 What do you think they have to do differently to make sure that he does not get a fourth mandate?
00:06:37.080 I think Conservatives just need to be Conservatives and not be afraid of the issues,
00:06:41.580 be courageous and put forth issues that are going to advance our country and prosper the nation.
00:06:50.080 The legacy media says that there's no way that Conservatives can win on a pro-life platform.
00:06:55.740 You are the only pro-life candidate in this race.
00:06:59.520 If you were to win, you would likely face a string of attacks from the Liberals, the NDP and the media,
00:07:04.740 claiming that you want to take away a woman's right to choose.
00:07:07.320 How would you combat that, and how would you be effective in sharing your vision
00:07:12.760 without it being twisted and interpreted the wrong way?
00:07:16.820 I think it's important that you always find common ground between Canadians,
00:07:22.560 and so that's what I look for.
00:07:23.640 I look for policies that unify Canadians,
00:07:26.420 and so all of my policies have encouraged people to have conversations
00:07:31.320 and to find policies that we can all agree on,
00:07:35.240 and there are a number of life policies that the majority of Canadians agree on,
00:07:39.920 and I think that is where we should be as a nation.
00:07:43.580 And that concludes our report on Leslyn Lewis' campaign event.
00:07:48.400 For the latest objective, independent coverage of the Conservative leadership race,
00:07:53.800 be sure to check out TNC.news,
00:07:56.460 and consider supporting us by making a donation.
00:07:59.740 For True North, I'm Elie Contenantel.