Juno News - Year-End Interview with Erin O’Toole

00:00:00.000 Welcome to Canada's Most Irreverent Talk Show.

00:00:06.660 This is the Andrew Lawton Show, brought to you by True North.

00:00:12.720 Coming up, a look back at 2020 and a look ahead to 2021

00:00:16.360 with Conservative Party of Canada leader Aaron O'Toole.

00:00:21.700 The Andrew Lawton Show starts right now.

00:00:25.220 Welcome everyone to Canada's Most Irreverent Talk Show,

00:00:30.960 a very special edition of the Andrew Lawton Show here on True North.

00:00:34.740 I'm joined by Conservative Party of Canada leader Aaron O'Toole.

00:00:38.640 Now, we actually spoke with Aaron O'Toole a couple of times

00:00:41.700 during the leadership race, the pandemic leadership race,

00:00:44.700 as many of you remember,

00:00:46.060 most recently at the Independent Press Gallery's fireside chats.

00:00:50.560 I won't rehash that. It was a great evening,

00:00:52.360 albeit not the one we had planned.

00:00:53.780 This is actually our first time speaking with Aaron O'Toole

00:00:56.760 since he became the leader of the Conservatives, though.

00:00:59.820 And since it is the end of the year,

00:01:01.380 and the end of what's been a very arduous year for a lot of people,

00:01:04.920 and certainly an eventful one in Canadian politics

00:01:07.640 and just in everyone's lives in the world,

00:01:10.180 we thought we would do a year-end interview,

00:01:12.180 a look at Aaron O'Toole's Conservative leadership so far,

00:01:15.340 plans for 2021 for the party, for the country,

00:01:18.340 and whatever else comes up along the way.

00:01:20.480 With that, it's my great pleasure to welcome back

00:01:22.820 to The Andrew Lawton Show, Aaron O'Toole.

00:01:25.140 Mr. O'Toole, thank you very much for your time today.

00:01:27.240 Good to speak with you again.

00:01:28.800 Great to be back with you, Andrew.

00:01:30.940 So let's talk about just the whirlwind this has been.

00:01:34.320 I know you marked just a week or two ago your first 100 days,

00:01:37.800 which is a lot of the times the symbolic sort of initial sprint

00:01:41.700 whenever someone has taken office.

00:01:44.020 You took this position in the middle of the pandemic.

00:01:47.200 So talk about a hit-the-ground-running moment.

00:01:50.100 What's that been like, first off?

00:01:52.940 Well, it started with the most important speech of my life

00:01:56.360 at 1.30 in the morning when I won the leadership, Andrew.

00:02:00.000 Obviously, that's not prime time when you're trying to get eyeballs

00:02:03.480 from coast to coast.

00:02:05.100 And then I started my tour, and then the second wave came,

00:02:08.380 and I came down with COVID.

00:02:10.060 And, you know, my wife will be reminding me of how in my first month

00:02:14.340 as leader I brought COVID into our house,

00:02:16.600 but we persevered like so many families did.

00:02:19.700 Fortunately, we had very mild cases, and our kids were fine.

00:02:23.380 And then we've just been connecting with people.

00:02:25.440 So I've been doing a lot of this type of communications.

00:02:28.900 Our team is united.

00:02:29.940 We put forward the push for rapid testing,

00:02:33.000 to stand up for small businesses.

00:02:34.440 We've won many opposition motions, including on banning Huawei.

00:02:38.960 We're taking the fight to the government.

00:02:40.760 We're also showing that we're a government in waiting.

00:02:43.440 So it's been a whirlwind, but I'm really proud of my team,

00:02:47.480 and I really appreciate the great wishes from many, many Canadians,

00:02:51.820 particularly when my family had COVID.

00:02:54.440 One of the things that has been a challenge, I think,

00:02:57.720 for the country is that on one hand, we're being told that

00:03:00.360 because we're in the midst of a crisis,

00:03:02.140 we need to have this Team Canada approach.

00:03:04.900 But the other side of that is that you're also the leader

00:03:07.240 of Her Majesty's loyal opposition.

00:03:09.260 Your job is, in many cases, to oppose.

00:03:12.060 So how do you strike that balance between, on one hand,

00:03:14.620 saying that, you know what, we all need to be on the same team,

00:03:17.120 but on the other hand, calling out the Prime Minister,

00:03:19.760 calling out his government on how they've been handling

00:03:21.680 that very crisis?

00:03:24.360 You've nailed the balance we have to get right,

00:03:26.660 and I think we have.

00:03:27.480 We've opposed, and we've proposed as well.

00:03:30.760 I've said, I'm trying to show that we have the vision

00:03:33.540 to be smarter, faster, more effective,

00:03:36.100 more principled for Canadians.

00:03:37.860 So we've supported programs to help people

00:03:40.880 and businesses struggling in the middle of the pandemic,

00:03:43.360 but we've also pushed to make them smarter.

00:03:45.620 So we got improvements to the rent subsidy program,

00:03:48.880 for example, Andrew.

00:03:50.380 We've pushed to improve the wage subsidy.

00:03:52.720 We want people working.

00:03:54.320 We want the economy moving forward

00:03:56.480 as much as possible in this pandemic.

00:03:58.600 So we voted with the government

00:04:00.540 when it's been putting Canadian families

00:04:02.540 and businesses first,

00:04:03.860 but we're also pushing them.

00:04:05.100 Take off the audits on small businesses

00:04:07.640 who are hanging on by a thread.

00:04:09.100 So we want a motion to try and postpone those audits,

00:04:12.260 to stop Chinese influence. 0.93

00:04:14.160 We're putting forward motions.

00:04:15.720 We're telling Trudeau he has to be more principled.

00:04:18.080 So I think we've been doing our job.

00:04:20.260 The fact that we've got rapid tests now,

00:04:23.240 later than most countries,

00:04:25.260 the fact that we're seeing some vaccines arrive,

00:04:27.640 that's because we've been pushing.

00:04:29.600 So I think we've done our job.

00:04:31.760 A lot of the country has been plunged into lockdown again

00:04:35.640 in the last few weeks.

00:04:36.860 We know that other regions,

00:04:38.360 including where I am in Ontario,

00:04:39.920 are going to be facing that in the coming weeks.

00:04:42.340 This is not just a 2020 challenge at this point.

00:04:45.520 This is going to go into 2021.

00:04:47.760 You mentioned vaccines.

00:04:48.800 I know that a lot of people have been putting hopes on that.

00:04:51.680 This is still going to be a months-long process,

00:04:54.340 it seems like,

00:04:55.040 before everyone in the country

00:04:56.560 who wants to be vaccinated can be.

00:04:58.720 Where do you think in 2021,

00:05:00.720 the priorities need to be for the government?

00:05:02.640 And the extension of that is your priority

00:05:04.880 as an opposition leader going into 2021.

00:05:08.700 We have to minimize the economic disruption

00:05:11.280 as much as possible.

00:05:12.400 That's why it's a crime

00:05:14.760 that we were so late on rapid testing.

00:05:16.760 The Trudeau government failed dramatically there.

00:05:19.140 Last summer,

00:05:20.320 countries in Europe were rolling them out

00:05:22.140 to try and keep parts of the economy open.

00:05:24.120 They were even using them

00:05:25.100 to keep travel open in Europe

00:05:27.260 months before Trudeau guaranteed a supply of rapid tests.

00:05:31.380 My family was in line for hours

00:05:33.220 and got turned away when we needed tests.

00:05:35.640 So that was a major fail.

00:05:37.300 I've also been pushing for more information.

00:05:40.000 When public health authorities,

00:05:41.420 I've been pushing Mr. Trudeau on this,

00:05:43.220 we also need to share with Canadians

00:05:45.120 where transmissions are taking place

00:05:47.120 because we actually know

00:05:48.200 they're not generally in restaurants

00:05:50.120 or retail locations.

00:05:51.980 And Canadians need to have that ability

00:05:54.300 to make the smart decisions.

00:05:57.140 And provinces and municipalities

00:05:58.640 need that information

00:06:00.200 so that we can keep as much

00:06:01.960 of our economy open as possible.

00:06:03.680 So we're going to continue to push

00:06:04.960 on those things.

00:06:06.220 We're also trying to push

00:06:08.960 for a smarter, faster deployment plan

00:06:11.840 to the vaccine.

00:06:13.020 So we think in a democracy,

00:06:14.320 that's our job to push

00:06:15.700 for a better, smarter response.

00:06:18.780 There's never been a fast response from Trudeau.

00:06:21.680 They're like a glacial pace

00:06:23.820 throughout this crisis.

00:06:25.520 Even among conservative premiers,

00:06:27.480 there seems to be a range

00:06:29.480 in how they're responding.

00:06:31.360 You have Premier Jason Kenney in Alberta,

00:06:33.560 who I know is a friend

00:06:34.720 and supporter of yours going back to,

00:06:36.700 well, going back years,

00:06:37.960 but more recently in the leadership race

00:06:39.920 was a supporter of you.

00:06:41.080 And he's saying that lockdown

00:06:42.660 isn't the answer.

00:06:43.740 And on the other side of that,

00:06:44.980 you have in Manitoba,

00:06:46.160 Premier Brian Pallister,

00:06:47.220 who's taken a very firm

00:06:48.980 and very strict approach to this.

00:06:50.960 And I know that every province

00:06:52.480 is going to and has to look out

00:06:54.220 for what it wants.

00:06:55.500 But do you think there is

00:06:56.440 a really conservative answer,

00:06:58.760 an appropriate and correct

00:07:00.020 conservative answer

00:07:01.240 to how to balance the needs

00:07:02.460 of businesses

00:07:03.200 with the public health crisis?

00:07:06.440 Absolutely.

00:07:07.580 It's what I would have done

00:07:08.940 in my military days.

00:07:10.780 The after action report,

00:07:12.080 we have to learn

00:07:13.040 from the first wave of the crisis

00:07:14.920 where the entire world reacted

00:07:18.320 and wasn't ready.

00:07:20.280 And COVID got into seniors' homes

00:07:22.280 and other settings

00:07:23.780 where the most vulnerable

00:07:24.780 were unfortunately susceptible

00:07:28.320 to COVID-19

00:07:29.580 and spread was unrestrained.

00:07:33.520 Why I want information

00:07:35.100 is because if restaurants

00:07:37.200 or retail locations

00:07:38.900 are using sanitation,

00:07:40.320 using distancing,

00:07:41.580 using masks and other measures,

00:07:43.140 there's actually

00:07:43.860 very little transmission risk.

00:07:45.700 So let's actually learn

00:07:47.720 how to protect the most vulnerable,

00:07:49.880 how to put our resources

00:07:51.040 where they need to be applied,

00:07:52.780 Andrew,

00:07:53.400 so that we can allow

00:07:54.880 small businesses

00:07:55.740 the ability

00:07:56.380 to at least earn

00:07:57.520 some economic activity

00:07:58.920 to stay open.

00:08:00.160 When I deal

00:08:00.580 with Restaurants Canada

00:08:01.500 and hear that maybe 60%

00:08:03.440 of restaurants in Canada

00:08:04.700 will be closed

00:08:06.100 in the next three months

00:08:07.520 like bankrupt,

00:08:08.760 that's jobs for students,

00:08:10.300 for new Canadians.

00:08:11.200 Those are the main street staples

00:08:13.540 of our society.

00:08:15.860 So we have to have smarter responses.

00:08:17.980 And I think

00:08:18.520 the federal government's

00:08:19.400 slow response

00:08:20.520 on rapid tests

00:08:21.920 and data means

00:08:23.760 that we haven't learned

00:08:24.780 all the lessons

00:08:25.380 from the first wave.

00:08:26.940 Do you think from,

00:08:28.120 am I understanding correctly

00:08:29.380 in what you're saying there,

00:08:30.300 that you think

00:08:30.760 the approach in Manitoba

00:08:32.060 and in parts of Ontario

00:08:33.560 is the wrong approach then?

00:08:35.680 Well, I think,

00:08:36.740 you know,

00:08:37.440 in the Manitoba case,

00:08:39.580 people that want

00:08:40.320 to go to a religious service

00:08:41.960 and stay in their car

00:08:43.060 and participate,

00:08:44.400 we learn from

00:08:45.440 the Ontario process

00:08:46.940 in your neck

00:08:48.080 of the woods, Andrew,

00:08:49.120 that that can be done,

00:08:50.200 that should be done.

00:08:51.180 It's good for mental wellness.

00:08:53.260 It's good for people's,

00:08:54.460 you know, faith

00:08:54.980 and be able to,

00:08:55.780 to maintain some normalcy

00:08:57.760 at a time

00:08:58.240 there's stress on families.

00:08:59.680 We should have learned

00:09:00.400 that you could do that

00:09:01.260 in a car very easily.

00:09:03.200 And why are we allowing

00:09:04.680 major big box stores

00:09:06.460 to be open

00:09:07.500 and small ones

00:09:08.380 being shut down?

00:09:09.500 We, we,

00:09:10.160 there were some areas

00:09:11.240 where I think

00:09:11.960 even provinces

00:09:13.320 could have learned

00:09:14.300 from,

00:09:15.600 from the lessons

00:09:16.300 one another faced.

00:09:17.780 Manitoba was largely immune

00:09:19.640 from the first wave.

00:09:21.200 We should have

00:09:22.100 coordinated that better.

00:09:23.460 That's why data

00:09:24.240 from the federal government

00:09:25.360 could have been helpful

00:09:26.700 for all problems.

00:09:28.580 And you raise

00:09:29.420 an important point there

00:09:30.600 in that if a business

00:09:31.860 is shut down

00:09:32.660 by the government,

00:09:33.720 there's no income there.

00:09:35.180 I mean,

00:09:35.360 they cannot do anything

00:09:36.440 to earn money.

00:09:37.200 And in that case,

00:09:38.000 that's where I think

00:09:38.760 you and I would probably agree

00:09:39.920 that yes,

00:09:40.400 having some supports there

00:09:41.620 on the business side

00:09:42.600 and on the employee side

00:09:43.700 are important.

00:09:44.480 The longer these things go on,

00:09:46.100 the more the government

00:09:46.820 has to spend on it.

00:09:48.500 We already saw

00:09:49.260 in the fiscal update

00:09:50.440 that we are dealing

00:09:51.720 with hundreds of billions

00:09:52.700 of dollars in deficits.

00:09:53.820 We know that number

00:09:54.680 is going to clear

00:09:55.240 $400 billion

00:09:56.060 and then keep going up

00:09:57.580 from there.

00:09:58.620 How does

00:09:59.500 an Aaron O'Toole government,

00:10:01.600 if such a thing

00:10:02.340 comes to fruition

00:10:03.300 in the next year,

00:10:04.260 two years,

00:10:04.900 three years,

00:10:05.580 how does something like that,

00:10:07.400 how do you put

00:10:07.880 an agenda forward

00:10:08.860 when you're inheriting

00:10:10.160 such debt

00:10:10.900 and such deficit?

00:10:11.860 This is why

00:10:14.220 we have to get rid

00:10:15.440 of the ideological

00:10:17.080 anti-work philosophy

00:10:19.780 of Mr. Trudeau.

00:10:21.180 You know,

00:10:21.380 Mr. Trudeau,

00:10:22.460 when he was in

00:10:23.120 southwestern Ontario,

00:10:24.160 I know you remember this,

00:10:25.340 Andrew,

00:10:25.900 he said Ontario

00:10:26.760 needs to move

00:10:27.560 past manufacturing.

00:10:29.680 He's against

00:10:30.260 the energy sector

00:10:31.640 with Bill C-69

00:10:32.740 and other measures.

00:10:33.900 He failed on negotiations

00:10:35.720 with respect to

00:10:36.820 steel and aluminum tariffs

00:10:38.740 and NAFTA in general.

00:10:40.420 He's been weak on China.

00:10:42.380 We need every cylinder

00:10:44.640 of our economic engine firing.

00:10:47.540 We need to allow

00:10:48.660 Canadian families

00:10:49.940 to provide

00:10:50.640 for their kids,

00:10:52.180 mom and dad working.

00:10:54.180 And that's why

00:10:54.660 I'm reaching out

00:10:55.420 to, you know,

00:10:56.720 trade unions

00:10:57.380 and union members.

00:10:59.080 Anybody that wants

00:10:59.860 to build this country,

00:11:01.040 build things in it

00:11:01.840 that are proud

00:11:02.460 of our resources

00:11:03.240 in the ground

00:11:03.900 or in our head,

00:11:05.140 there's only one party

00:11:06.360 standing up for you

00:11:07.320 and that's the Conservatives.

00:11:09.220 Jagmeet Singh,

00:11:10.340 Mr. Trudeau,

00:11:10.980 they've supported

00:11:12.200 or not acted

00:11:13.840 when there's been

00:11:14.380 illegal rail blockades

00:11:15.580 and other things.

00:11:16.360 So I think

00:11:17.500 the recovery

00:11:18.100 will all be about

00:11:19.360 who's going to get

00:11:20.660 the economy moving.

00:11:21.780 So every program

00:11:23.300 should be focused

00:11:24.420 on full employment

00:11:25.440 and growing Canada

00:11:26.800 out of this COVID recession.

00:11:28.400 I don't disagree with that

00:11:30.600 but there is

00:11:31.180 a long-term problem here

00:11:33.080 and I know that

00:11:33.880 for example

00:11:34.460 in the previous

00:11:35.140 Conservative campaign

00:11:36.460 when Andrew Scheer

00:11:37.340 was the leader,

00:11:38.080 one of the things

00:11:38.640 the Conservatives

00:11:39.260 were proposing

00:11:39.940 was a law

00:11:41.200 that would compel

00:11:42.080 the government

00:11:42.640 to balance the budget.

00:11:44.180 This is not something

00:11:45.460 where a Conservative government

00:11:47.440 or any government

00:11:48.540 I don't think

00:11:49.200 could promise

00:11:49.980 to reliably balance

00:11:51.620 the budget

00:11:52.040 within four years

00:11:52.920 given how bad

00:11:54.220 things are right now.

00:11:55.340 So if you want to use

00:11:57.040 the backbone

00:11:57.840 of Conservative governments

00:11:59.360 and Conservative parties

00:12:00.380 typically

00:12:00.780 which is lower government

00:12:02.260 spending, lower taxes

00:12:03.620 is there a path

00:12:04.860 to do that do you think?

00:12:05.880 Is there a path

00:12:06.460 to do that

00:12:06.960 that you could push for

00:12:07.920 as leader of the Conservatives?

00:12:10.840 Absolutely.

00:12:11.860 It's in fact Andrew

00:12:12.840 the most fundamental

00:12:14.100 Conservative principles

00:12:15.260 which are free market principles

00:12:17.460 and whether you use

00:12:19.060 your toil

00:12:19.700 and your hands

00:12:20.860 to build something

00:12:21.880 or work in the oil patch

00:12:23.280 or in an auto plant

00:12:24.920 in Oshawa

00:12:25.540 or whether you're using

00:12:27.220 your entrepreneurship

00:12:28.540 to open up

00:12:29.360 a small business

00:12:30.080 in Surrey

00:12:30.720 or in Mississauga

00:12:31.580 or in Halifax

00:12:32.320 we need to applaud that.

00:12:34.520 I've talked a lot

00:12:35.360 about the nobility

00:12:36.240 of work

00:12:36.880 at a time

00:12:37.460 where the four parties

00:12:39.000 on the left

00:12:39.740 talk about

00:12:40.680 a guaranteed income

00:12:41.660 turning the CERB

00:12:42.580 into a permanent

00:12:44.080 non-working class

00:12:45.900 in Canada

00:12:46.440 that would run

00:12:47.160 contrary to the history

00:12:48.780 of our country

00:12:49.480 and certainly contrary

00:12:50.740 to free market principles

00:12:52.840 so we should really

00:12:54.300 encourage people

00:12:55.500 to achieve

00:12:56.880 to work hard

00:12:57.780 to get the benefits

00:12:58.660 of their labour

00:12:59.460 the fruits of their labour

00:13:00.480 and we've seen this

00:13:02.160 especially with new Canadians

00:13:03.340 come here

00:13:03.920 start a business

00:13:04.920 with very few dollars

00:13:06.100 and they're employing

00:13:07.380 20 other families

00:13:08.540 within the end

00:13:09.420 of the decade

00:13:09.980 that is good

00:13:11.340 we need to encourage that

00:13:12.640 so I think

00:13:13.240 those Conservative principles

00:13:15.280 I want more Canadians

00:13:17.040 seeing themselves reflected

00:13:19.060 in our standing up

00:13:20.580 for the country.

00:13:21.160 You've mentioned China

00:13:23.200 a couple of times

00:13:24.160 and I think it's actually

00:13:25.080 a very important time

00:13:26.240 to be talking about this

00:13:27.220 we heard news last week

00:13:28.600 from Rebel

00:13:29.660 and then Globe and Mail

00:13:30.860 that the Trudeau government

00:13:32.560 had actively tried

00:13:33.760 to resist

00:13:34.320 the Canadian Armed Forces

00:13:35.660 attempting to stop

00:13:36.960 this pattern

00:13:38.040 of training

00:13:38.980 the Chinese People's

00:13:40.440 Liberation Army

00:13:41.220 in winter combat

00:13:42.420 at Petawawa

00:13:43.360 you're a veteran yourself

00:13:44.980 I know you were

00:13:45.600 the Minister of Veterans Affairs

00:13:47.100 let's talk about

00:13:48.500 the two sides of this

00:13:49.460 first off the fact

00:13:50.420 that the military

00:13:51.000 was doing this training

00:13:52.200 and also that

00:13:53.680 the Trudeau government

00:13:54.820 wanted to continue this

00:13:57.140 even in light of all

00:13:58.120 that's been happening

00:13:58.800 in the China relationship

00:13:59.920 the last couple of years

00:14:01.100 nothing shows how out of touch

00:14:04.680 Mr. Trudeau

00:14:05.580 and Ms. Freeland are

00:14:06.620 more than these leaked memos

00:14:09.060 that you talked about

00:14:10.080 this week

00:14:10.620 the very fact

00:14:11.840 that they were pushing back

00:14:13.160 and pressuring

00:14:14.120 our top generals

00:14:15.760 our military

00:14:16.720 to train Chinese troops

00:14:19.360 on our soil

00:14:20.160 when our two citizens

00:14:22.040 were in jail

00:14:22.860 when they're

00:14:24.080 having internment camps

00:14:25.600 for the Uyghurs 0.89

00:14:26.440 when they're imposing

00:14:27.620 a police state

00:14:28.400 in Hong Kong

00:14:29.040 and there's 300,000

00:14:30.040 Canadian citizens there

00:14:31.060 just shows how 0.77

00:14:31.980 out of whack

00:14:33.060 the memo showed

00:14:33.920 they were more worried

00:14:35.060 about upsetting officials

00:14:36.720 in Beijing

00:14:37.320 than to listening

00:14:38.980 to the security advice

00:14:40.020 of our troops

00:14:40.700 that should scare people

00:14:42.400 that's a dangerous

00:14:43.500 level of naivete

00:14:45.540 so we brought the fight

00:14:47.420 it was great

00:14:47.940 that that was brought out

00:14:49.560 it's the latest example

00:14:51.060 that they're out of touch

00:14:52.480 we're the only country

00:14:53.380 in the five eyes

00:14:54.160 that hasn't yet banned Huawei

00:14:55.820 we passed a motion

00:14:56.900 the clock is ticking

00:14:58.180 Justin

00:14:58.820 to take serious

00:15:00.680 our public safety

00:15:01.600 our security

00:15:02.620 and our principled

00:15:03.600 approach in the world

00:15:04.340 you brought up

00:15:06.400 this very issue

00:15:07.460 to Deputy Prime Minister

00:15:08.960 Krista Freeland

00:15:09.780 in the House of Commons

00:15:10.720 last week

00:15:11.320 and her

00:15:11.660 I use the word answers

00:15:13.700 in the very generous

00:15:14.820 a generous interpretation

00:15:16.360 of answer

00:15:16.800 she spoke about

00:15:18.620 the Michael Kovrig

00:15:19.960 and Michael Spavor

00:15:20.860 imprisonment over there

00:15:22.160 and that's an issue

00:15:23.320 again you said as much

00:15:24.420 you agree with her on

00:15:25.600 but there is this approach

00:15:27.420 that some people suggest

00:15:28.660 is the important one

00:15:29.880 which is to not rock the boat

00:15:31.320 or poke the bear

00:15:32.240 with China

00:15:32.860 do you think there's

00:15:34.080 any truth to that

00:15:34.900 when they have

00:15:35.640 the Michael

00:15:36.600 when they have

00:15:37.280 the two Michaels

00:15:37.860 over there

00:15:38.280 do you think there's

00:15:38.740 truth to the fact

00:15:39.320 that we don't want

00:15:39.860 to antagonize them

00:15:40.880 no

00:15:42.480 in fact

00:15:43.580 the communist regime

00:15:45.560 thrives on weakness

00:15:46.980 and Mr. Trudeau

00:15:48.500 is seen as weak

00:15:49.480 and in fact

00:15:50.180 probably too biased

00:15:52.340 in his view

00:15:53.560 to what the communist regime

00:15:55.760 really stands for

00:15:56.800 they tried to use

00:15:57.960 this line Andrew

00:15:58.880 a year ago

00:15:59.720 when I created

00:16:00.680 the Canada China 0.57

00:16:02.220 Parliamentary Oversight Committee

00:16:03.660 oh you're going to put

00:16:04.440 at risk

00:16:05.560 our chance

00:16:06.200 to get

00:16:06.600 the two Michaels

00:16:07.600 homers

00:16:07.960 that was a year ago

00:16:09.540 we had no ambassador

00:16:11.940 in China

00:16:12.540 for eight months

00:16:13.480 because the bumbling

00:16:15.020 John McCallum

00:16:16.160 the liberal insider

00:16:17.260 handpicked

00:16:17.960 Trudeau appointment

00:16:19.220 had to resign

00:16:20.400 in disgrace

00:16:21.140 we've been seen

00:16:23.300 as kowtowing

00:16:24.440 all the time

00:16:25.260 and I'm not saying

00:16:26.460 we're going to start

00:16:27.080 rattling sabers

00:16:28.760 but we have to stand up

00:16:30.140 and show that

00:16:30.660 our values

00:16:31.340 are not for sale

00:16:32.320 and just because

00:16:33.360 there are big trade

00:16:34.660 opportunities for China

00:16:35.600 I'd actually make

00:16:36.760 things in Canada

00:16:37.920 I want us to do

00:16:38.920 things here

00:16:39.520 and have less reliance

00:16:40.660 on a regime

00:16:41.760 that can't be trusted

00:16:42.760 on any level

00:16:43.540 and when you say that

00:16:45.400 you're not talking

00:16:46.020 about protectionism

00:16:47.020 you're talking specifically

00:16:48.180 about trade

00:16:49.300 with countries

00:16:50.080 like China 0.66

00:16:50.860 that have the

00:16:51.540 human rights abuse

00:16:52.500 the unfree approach

00:16:53.920 to the world

00:16:54.520 yes

00:16:56.260 I've described it

00:16:57.680 as free trade

00:16:58.660 and fair trade

00:16:59.740 amongst free nations

00:17:01.200 China Andrew

00:17:02.700 games every system

00:17:04.760 it's in

00:17:05.520 in fact

00:17:06.080 the Montreal Protocol

00:17:07.920 to ban CFC

00:17:09.100 the ozone hole

00:17:10.400 creating chemicals

00:17:11.680 they've been found

00:17:12.580 to have been violating

00:17:13.500 that decades

00:17:14.720 old treaty

00:17:15.600 they have

00:17:16.500 they actually

00:17:17.620 use our transparency

00:17:19.540 and our commitment

00:17:21.240 to human rights

00:17:22.420 the environmental

00:17:24.080 mitigation

00:17:24.700 and other things

00:17:25.180 against us

00:17:26.460 so

00:17:26.780 we need

00:17:28.040 free and fair trade

00:17:29.320 amongst democracies

00:17:30.460 and I think

00:17:31.220 you see it coming

00:17:32.440 with Australia

00:17:33.200 and some countries

00:17:34.580 with backbone

00:17:35.480 we're not going to have

00:17:36.840 that backbone

00:17:37.480 under Mr. Trudeau

00:17:38.620 I'm suggesting to Canadians 0.90

00:17:40.360 that the Conservatives

00:17:41.420 will take

00:17:41.920 a principled approach

00:17:43.380 and our allies

00:17:44.300 are desperate

00:17:45.080 for that principled

00:17:46.580 Canada to return 0.88

00:17:47.980 to the world stage

00:17:48.860 when you say weakness

00:17:50.800 in the face of China 0.99

00:17:52.520 what do you think

00:17:53.460 is really at the root

00:17:54.700 of that

00:17:55.080 because we know

00:17:55.900 that Justin Trudeau

00:17:56.700 had vaunted

00:17:57.320 his government

00:17:58.300 as being the sign

00:17:59.440 that Canada was back

00:18:00.520 on the world stage

00:18:01.460 the China relationship

00:18:02.700 is an important one

00:18:03.800 we can't hold them up

00:18:05.200 at the same time

00:18:05.940 as this global partner

00:18:07.120 in peace

00:18:07.580 because we know

00:18:08.200 they aren't that

00:18:08.880 so when Trudeau

00:18:09.940 goes down this road

00:18:10.860 of appeasement

00:18:12.000 what do you think

00:18:12.940 is actually at stake there

00:18:14.140 what do you think

00:18:14.480 is at play rather

00:18:15.300 I think you know

00:18:17.800 it was our former

00:18:18.960 ambassador

00:18:19.500 David Mulroney

00:18:20.380 who first used

00:18:21.340 the term that

00:18:22.100 early that Mr. Trudeau

00:18:23.840 was incredibly naive

00:18:25.440 with respect to

00:18:26.760 the communist regime

00:18:27.660 in China

00:18:28.060 remember Andrew

00:18:28.840 he said famously

00:18:30.140 the country he most admired

00:18:31.620 was China

00:18:32.200 because their basic

00:18:33.580 dictatorship

00:18:34.200 gets things done

00:18:35.000 he was not joking

00:18:36.340 the liberals tried

00:18:37.460 to suggest later

00:18:38.380 he was joking

00:18:39.040 I think there's

00:18:40.140 a romantic notion

00:18:41.500 because his father

00:18:42.620 opened up relations

00:18:44.420 and so he's had

00:18:45.280 an out of touch view

00:18:46.440 and he hasn't worked

00:18:47.900 in the private sector

00:18:48.840 he's never viewed this

00:18:50.900 I've worked on

00:18:51.700 intellectual property theft

00:18:53.180 by China

00:18:53.820 on anti-counterfeiting

00:18:55.440 as a lawyer

00:18:56.280 in the private sector

00:18:57.240 as an ex-military person

00:18:58.900 I've watched

00:18:59.500 the Chinese action

00:19:01.000 in the South China Sea

00:19:02.140 the buildup

00:19:02.740 of their blue water navy

00:19:03.740 their Arctic ambitions

00:19:05.300 these are all watchouts

00:19:07.360 and Mr. Trudeau

00:19:08.760 thought he'd have

00:19:10.660 a free trade agreement

00:19:11.540 with China

00:19:11.980 as some legacy

00:19:13.320 well in 2017

00:19:14.780 China took a very harsh turn

00:19:17.300 into the worst parts

00:19:18.920 of communism

00:19:19.800 with the 19th People's Congress

00:19:21.660 President Xi

00:19:22.380 is now president for life

00:19:23.780 the moves on Hong Kong

00:19:24.840 the Uyghurs 1.00

00:19:25.320 China's getting worse 1.00

00:19:26.700 not better

00:19:27.220 so it means

00:19:27.840 the democratic world

00:19:28.740 has to have a principled

00:19:29.760 and united stand

00:19:31.140 to counterbalance

00:19:32.320 the bad actions of China 0.98

00:19:33.940 Earlier on

00:19:36.160 in the pandemic

00:19:36.860 whenever anyone asked

00:19:38.040 either Health Minister

00:19:39.220 Patty Hajdu

00:19:39.980 or the Prime Minister

00:19:40.860 about China's

00:19:42.060 coronavirus numbers

00:19:43.260 or China's 0.53

00:19:44.100 potential culpability

00:19:45.420 in allowing the virus

00:19:46.600 to get as bad

00:19:47.460 as it did

00:19:47.960 as early as it did

00:19:49.320 we were all told

00:19:50.240 oh you know what

00:19:50.800 those are questions

00:19:51.440 for another time

00:19:52.560 and those questions

00:19:53.680 started to get rarer

00:19:54.980 and rarer

00:19:55.520 from the media

00:19:56.160 do you think

00:19:56.980 there is an important

00:19:58.000 discussion

00:19:58.520 that needs to be had

00:19:59.460 specifically about

00:20:00.420 China's role

00:20:01.300 in the pandemic

00:20:02.320 and how would you raise

00:20:03.340 that as Prime Minister

00:20:04.200 I've raised it

00:20:06.480 and I think it needs

00:20:07.260 to be looked at

00:20:07.960 in fact

00:20:08.320 former Liberal Cabinet

00:20:09.460 Minister

00:20:09.820 Erwin Kotler

00:20:10.580 wrote a brilliant piece

00:20:12.300 in the pandemic

00:20:13.040 about how

00:20:13.760 had China 0.76

00:20:14.640 been more transparent

00:20:15.700 a lot of the world

00:20:16.960 would have been

00:20:17.420 better prepared

00:20:18.280 for the first wave

00:20:19.400 of COVID-19

00:20:20.340 here's the crazy thing

00:20:23.020 Andrew

00:20:23.400 the Trudeau government

00:20:25.120 turned off

00:20:26.060 our early pandemic

00:20:27.440 pandemic warning system

00:20:29.300 a year ago

00:20:30.280 and said at the time

00:20:31.960 they wanted those

00:20:33.020 intelligence and science

00:20:34.220 officials

00:20:34.660 to concentrate on vaping

00:20:36.720 and they were going to

00:20:38.240 rely on public health

00:20:39.480 data from China

00:20:40.440 how did that work out

00:20:42.780 they also then gave

00:20:44.480 PPE to China

00:20:45.700 in February

00:20:46.600 when their own departments

00:20:48.500 at least five federal

00:20:50.000 departments were warning

00:20:51.140 the Trudeau government

00:20:51.880 about the pandemic

00:20:52.760 and about the run

00:20:54.120 on global PPE supply

00:20:55.500 by China

00:20:56.600 so this is where

00:20:58.400 this currying favor

00:20:59.960 this kowtowing

00:21:00.900 to Beijing

00:21:01.480 actually set us up

00:21:03.600 for an early failure

00:21:04.800 and then Minister

00:21:06.100 Hai Ju

00:21:06.560 has been wrong

00:21:07.800 on the border

00:21:08.520 on human transmission

00:21:10.140 on mask usage

00:21:11.520 rapid test

00:21:12.640 disaster

00:21:14.400 is the only word

00:21:15.420 to describe her

00:21:16.300 and remember

00:21:16.920 the first Trudeau

00:21:18.340 health minister

00:21:19.220 the physician

00:21:20.060 Jane Philpott

00:21:21.320 who resigned

00:21:22.020 over Trudeau's leadership

00:21:22.980 where is she now

00:21:23.820 Dean of Medicine

00:21:25.100 at Queen's University

00:21:26.220 so it wouldn't have been

00:21:27.280 handy to have someone

00:21:28.320 who knew what they were

00:21:29.380 doing during the pandemic

00:21:30.620 so we're going to

00:21:31.780 continue to hold to account

00:21:33.520 it's about looking forward

00:21:35.260 but the more you look back

00:21:36.640 you see the Trudeau government

00:21:38.020 was laid at every step

00:21:39.100 I know it's very difficult

00:21:41.260 to do a year-end interview

00:21:42.840 in a year where basically

00:21:44.140 a year's worth of events

00:21:45.460 happen every couple of weeks

00:21:46.620 or so

00:21:47.100 but outside of your role

00:21:48.920 as leader of the Conservatives

00:21:50.480 and of the official opposition

00:21:51.580 just in your own personal life

00:21:53.220 what's your goal for 2021?

00:21:56.660 Well my biggest role

00:21:58.120 is husband and dad

00:21:59.620 to two amazing kids

00:22:00.840 Molly and Jack

00:22:01.920 it's been a tough year

00:22:03.300 on all of our kids

00:22:04.400 Andrew

00:22:04.940 you know

00:22:05.380 the uncertainty

00:22:06.600 the inability to socialize

00:22:08.360 with their peers

00:22:09.080 you know

00:22:09.880 I was really thankful

00:22:10.860 when my daughter Molly's

00:22:12.440 swim team could get together

00:22:13.820 distance and everything

00:22:14.880 this is why we need

00:22:16.380 information

00:22:17.520 and the ability for us

00:22:18.960 to remain as open

00:22:20.400 not just economically

00:22:21.680 to one another

00:22:22.500 so I'm going to make

00:22:24.120 a commitment

00:22:24.580 to make sure that

00:22:25.500 as a new leader

00:22:26.200 I'm busy

00:22:26.740 as we start opening up

00:22:28.240 I'm going to lock in

00:22:29.120 family time better

00:22:30.460 we did that during the pandemic

00:22:31.960 and whether it's just

00:22:33.040 you know

00:22:34.000 watching the Mandalorian

00:22:35.120 when it comes out

00:22:35.940 each week

00:22:36.440 or playing a board game

00:22:38.180 for me

00:22:38.600 I don't want to

00:22:39.500 I don't want

00:22:40.520 the consuming nature

00:22:41.920 of this job

00:22:42.700 to distract me

00:22:43.600 from my most important job

00:22:45.240 which is dad

00:22:45.980 well now I have to ask you

00:22:48.360 what board game

00:22:49.000 since I'm a bit of a board game

00:22:50.160 geek myself

00:22:50.820 well the

00:22:52.980 the famous one

00:22:54.680 that I love the most

00:22:56.160 is Trivial Pursuit

00:22:57.260 there's a various

00:22:58.380 number of versions of it

00:23:00.720 we are also

00:23:01.760 I think this Christmas

00:23:02.880 getting in

00:23:03.560 to some of the classic

00:23:04.960 games like

00:23:05.800 Life and Sorry

00:23:07.320 I know that

00:23:08.100 someone might be getting

00:23:10.180 one of those

00:23:10.860 in their Christmas gifts

00:23:13.500 so I've got to make sure

00:23:15.180 my kids don't watch

00:23:16.200 your show Andrew

00:23:17.740 but any time

00:23:18.900 that we can get together

00:23:20.120 is special

00:23:21.860 and I think

00:23:22.860 all families

00:23:24.080 have treasured that

00:23:25.200 as part of this pandemic

00:23:26.400 just being together

00:23:27.560 All right

00:23:29.040 well if you

00:23:29.520 if everyone else

00:23:30.600 but the O'Toole children

00:23:31.620 want to watch the show

00:23:32.400 that's fine with me

00:23:33.200 Aaron O'Toole

00:23:34.100 leader of the Conservatives

00:23:35.260 great to chat with you again

00:23:36.280 thank you very much

00:23:37.040 and all the best

00:23:37.820 for Christmas

00:23:38.380 and the new year

00:23:38.980 to you and your family

00:23:39.900 Thanks as well Andrew

00:23:42.240 Merry Christmas

00:23:42.760 to you and your family

00:23:43.560 and to all your viewers

00:23:44.700 thank you

00:23:45.220 That was Conservative Party

00:23:47.740 of Canada

00:23:48.360 leader Aaron O'Toole

00:23:49.500 in a look at 2020

00:23:50.800 and of course

00:23:51.660 a look ahead at 2021

00:23:52.860 which I think at this point

00:23:53.980 pretty much everyone

00:23:54.940 is doing

00:23:55.480 politics aside

00:23:56.700 personal life

00:23:57.600 politics work

00:23:58.300 everyone's trying to

00:23:58.960 look ahead to 2021

00:24:00.380 so let's hope

00:24:01.140 it's a bit better

00:24:01.680 than what we've had

00:24:02.600 in the last 12 months

00:24:03.980 With that

00:24:04.840 I want to thank all of you

00:24:05.780 for tuning into the show

00:24:07.120 we will talk to you

00:24:07.880 in just a couple of days time

00:24:09.200 with more of Canada's

00:24:10.580 most irreverent talk show

00:24:11.960 here on True North

00:24:12.760 Thank you

00:24:13.480 God bless

00:24:14.040 and good day to you all

00:24:15.040 Thanks for listening

00:24:16.260 to the Andrew Lawton Show

00:24:17.460 Support the program

00:24:18.520 by donating to True North

00:24:19.740 at www.tnc.news

Juno News - December 14, 2020

Year-End Interview with Erin O’Toole

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