But three-term Conservative MP Marilyn Gladu says the \u2018Civil Liberties Caucus\u2019 is not aimed to undermine Erin O\u2019Toole\u2019s leadership, only to represent constituents\u2019 concerns.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.hilltimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/gladu-1200-750x375.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nThree-term Conservative MP Marilyn Gladu and a group of 15 to 30 Conservative MPs and Senators are starting a caucus called the ‘Civil Liberties Caucus’ to advocate for ‘reasonable accommodation’ for anti-vaxxers who are losing their jobs. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n- <\/li>
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Erin O\u2019Toole\u2019s stance on COVID-19 vaccinations hurt the Conservative Party\u2019s recent election campaign and remains a divisive internal issue as a group of 15 to 30 Conservative MPs and Senators is set to start a new intra-party caucus on Nov. 8 called the \u201cCivil Liberties Caucus\u201d that Conservative MP Marilyn Gladu says will speak up for anti-vaxxers who are losing their jobs for refusing to get the shot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The idea to start this caucus came at a social gathering of Parliamentarians early last month in Ottawa, after the first post-election caucus meeting, Ms. Gladu (Sarnia-Lambton, Ont.) told The Hill Times.<\/em> At the time, a number of caucus members expressed concerns about some of their constituents losing their jobs in a variety of professions for refusing to get vaccinated. With House committees seeming unlikely to meet until February, the three-term MP said there\u2019s no parliamentary forum in the interim where MPs can have a serious discussion on this issue. Ms. Gladu said this is the reason \u201clike-minded\u201d MPs and Senators decided to start this caucus.<\/p>\n\n\n\nGet Today’s Headlines Newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Canadian politics and policy stories that are shaping the day. Weekdays. By entering your email address you consent to receive email from The Hill Times containing news, analysis, updates and offers. You may unsubscribe at any time.<\/strong> See our privacy policy<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nSince that meeting, Ms. Gladu said some Conservatives MPs and Senators have had four Zoom meetings to discuss the path forward to highlight this issue and what they can do to encourage employers to find a \u201creasonable accommodation\u201d for these workers. In her own Ontario riding, she said, 18 nurses lost their jobs early this week for refusing to get vaccinated. Ms. Gladu suggested rather than firing people from their jobs, employers can use rapid tests to determine whether staff are COVID-19 positive, or transfer them to positions that do not involve contact with patients. On Nov. 8, in the evening, she said some Conservative MPs and Senators are meeting online to finalize the nuts and bolts of how they want to run this caucus.![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.hilltimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/DSC02677.t615cf605.m1200.x5rsZRUfr-600x400.jpg\")
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Conservative Party Leader Erin O\u2019Toole is facing an uphill internal battle over the divisive issue of vaccinations. The Hill Times photograph by Sam Garcia<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nMs. Gladu said the House committee approach is under consideration as a model to follow, whereby the caucus could invite experts to guide members about possible solutions. The caucus is considering launching a Facebook page to provide updates to their constituents about the caucus\u2019 work and may invite them to participate, she said. She said the group has not formally informed Mr. O\u2019Toole or the opposition leader\u2019s office about this caucus as it\u2019s an informal group and it\u2019s not unusual for Parliamentarians to start caucuses on issues of interest. She also said that it\u2019s highly unlikely that the leadership would try to shut it down as there are other caucuses on \u201ccontroversial\u201d issues, such as the pro-life caucus that has been in existence for years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Canadians\u2019 rights \u2018are being encroached\u2019 on: Gladu<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nMs. Gladu denied the \u201cCivil Liberties Caucus\u201d is aimed to undermine or challenge Mr. O\u2019Toole\u2019s leadership and said she hoped other federal parties don\u2019t exploit this issue as the caucus members are only trying to help their constituents. The group chose \u201ccivil liberties\u201d as a name, she explained, because they believe Canadians who don\u2019t want to be vaccinated are not getting fair treatment, and losing their jobs is a violation of their rights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI would really encourage every MP to listen to constituents in their ridings, because across the country, people are concerned about these things,\u201d said Ms. Gladu, who declined to share the names of other caucus members until next week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOur job as MPs is to raise the issues that our constituents are bringing, and ask the important questions and get the experts in on it, and set a path to take action to make sure that people\u2019s rights and freedoms are protected. And that\u2019s why we\u2019re sort of looking at the name of civil liberties. I mean, it\u2019s basically these are the areas where we feel people\u2019s [rights] are being encroached.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, she conceded that being a member of this group could also affect an MPs\u2019 prospects of promotion in the party\u2019s shadow cabinet, noting it\u2019s a possibility that every member has to consider before joining the group. Ms. Gladu said that the membership of this caucus could grow beyond 30.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat is possible, and people will have to choose what their priorities are,\u201d said Ms. Gladu, adding that the only reason this caucus started is to help out constituents. \u201cNo, I don\u2019t think that this is very controversial. Honestly, these are issues that are being raised by our constituents, and we were put here to basically represent their needs and make sure that those issues are raising in government, and that\u2019s what we\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the recently announced new rules of the House Board of Internal Economy, anyone who is not vaccinated cannot enter parliamentary buildings or the Chamber. The Liberal, NDP. and Bloc Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois have publicly announced that their caucus members are fully vaccinated. But, on the Conservative side, there are some MPs who are not vaccinated. The number however is unknown. According to a survey by CBC<\/a> of all Conservative MPs, 81 said they are fully vaccinated, three declined to share their vaccination status and 35 did not respond.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Conservative Party\u2019s official position is that it will follow the House rules, but plan to challenge the edict as a point of privilege in the House on the grounds that MPs should be making these rules, not the nine-member all-party Board of Internal Economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some Conservative caucus sources told The Hill Times<\/em> this week that these unvaccinated MPs will try to enter the building and it will become an issue that will yet again highlight the party\u2019s internal divisions on the topic. And if that happens, that could result in caucus expulsions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cI\u2019ll tell you this: Nov. 22, can be a very interesting day,\u201d said one Conservative MP who spoke to The Hill Times<\/em> on not for attribution basis to offer their candid opinion. \u201cBecause I believe there are Conservative Members of Parliament who are unvaccinated who are going to try and get into the Parliament buildings anyways. So, they\u2019re not going to follow the rules, despite what we\u2019ve decided as a caucus. And what happens after that? I think they\u2019re going to be kicked out of caucus.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nElection performance review end date up in the air<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nAfter this, Conservative sources said the next date to watch for is former Conservative MP James Cumming review report of the party\u2019s election performance. At the first caucus meeting after the election, all caucus members were told that Mr. Cumming, who lost his seat in the Sept. 20 election, will conduct a comprehensive review of the last election and present his report to the leader by Dec. 31 and the leader will share this report with the caucus.![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.hilltimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/568A0014_20.t5e4e931c.m1600.xe0bFCJJD-600x361.jpg\")
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Former Alberta Conservative MP James Cumming is conducting a comprehensive review of the party\u2019s election performance. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nMr. Cumming told The Hill Times<\/em> that he is trying to complete his report as soon as he can. But, considering that the holiday season is starting next month, he was not sure if he would be able to complete the report by Dec. 31. Mr. Cumming declined to say when he would submit his report. For his review, Mr. Cumming said that so far he has talked to about 50 people, including candidates, MPs, campaign managers, staff who were directly involved in the campaign and some who were not. These conversations involve both in-person and phone conversations. He said that he has one staffer who is helping him with co-ordination and documentation of these meetings. Mr. Cumming said that he might be reimbursed for his expenses but said that it\u2019s not decided whether he would get paid for his time spent on this report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cI haven\u2019t picked an end date yet,\u201d said Mr. Cumming. \u201cBut I would tell you that again, my drive is to make sure that it\u2019s comprehensive and that it\u2019s based upon I\u2019ve received enough information, be able to prepare a good report?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
New group makes O\u2019Toole \u2018look weak,\u2019 says pollster<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nThe vaccination issue was one of the key reasons the Conservatives failed to unseat the Liberal government in the last election, according to Greg Lyle, president of Innovative Research. Even now, the party is divided, and he said a new caucus speaking up for Canadians who don\u2019t want to get vaccinated will be seen as a challenge to Mr. O\u2019Toole\u2019s leadership. He said that a clear majority of Canadians are in support of vaccination and Conservative Party is divided, so it portrays Mr. O\u2019Toole as a weak leader. It appears Mr. O\u2019Toole is trying to downplay the issue, he said, while some of the caucus members are highlighting it, making it difficult for the party to win next time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s pretty much a direct leadership challenge to Erin O\u2019Toole,\u201d said Mr. Lyle, a prominent pollster. \u201cWhich makes him look weak, which doesn\u2019t help him in his competition if he stays on as leader. And No. 2, it\u2019s offside with the vast majority of Canadians. \u2026 Given that O\u2019Toole said he is going to respect the ruling, it\u2019s a direct attack on his leadership, there\u2019s just no other way to look at it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Conservative sources said that there are a lot of conversations happening within the caucus as to the possibility of holding a caucus review of Mr. O\u2019Toole. At this time, they said, it appears a third of the caucus is on the leader\u2019s side, a third is against the leader, and a third is in wait and see mode. They said that one reason some caucus members are undecided is because they don\u2019t seen a prominent person willing to run for the party leadership who could succeed Mr. O\u2019Toole and win the next election. But others say, right now, the leader\u2019s position is not open, and no one knows who the potential candidates are. Once the position opens up, they said, there will be candidates who can win the next election for the party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe ballot question cannot be who\u2019s in the wings,\u201d said a senior Conservative. \u201cThe ballot question has to be, can O\u2019Toole win or not? That\u2019s got to be the ballot question. If that seat [leader\u2019s position] becomes available, then there\u2019ll be plenty of people stepping forward.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Hill Times<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nCLARIFICATION: This story was updated on Nov. 4 to clarify that the quote in the original headline calling the new intra-party caucus \u201ca direct challenge\u201d to Conservative Leader Erin O\u2019Toole\u2019s leadership was from pollster Greg Lyle, not a member of the new caucus. As noted in the piece, Conservative MP Marilyn Gladu has said it is not meant as a challenge to Mr. O\u2019Toole\u2019s leadership. The Hill Times apologizes for any confusion.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In a move pollster calls \u2018a direct challenge\u2019 to O\u2019Toole\u2019s leadership, 15 to 30 Tory MPs and Senators starting new caucus to speak up for anti-vaxxers losing jobs By Abbas Rana November 4, 2021 But three-term Conservative MP Marilyn Gladu says … Continue reading
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nThree-term Conservative MP Marilyn Gladu and a group of 15 to 30 Conservative MPs and Senators are starting a caucus called the ‘Civil Liberties Caucus’ to advocate for ‘reasonable accommodation’ for anti-vaxxers who are losing their jobs. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Erin O\u2019Toole\u2019s stance on COVID-19 vaccinations hurt the Conservative Party\u2019s recent election campaign and remains a divisive internal issue as a group of 15 to 30 Conservative MPs and Senators is set to start a new intra-party caucus on Nov. 8 called the \u201cCivil Liberties Caucus\u201d that Conservative MP Marilyn Gladu says will speak up for anti-vaxxers who are losing their jobs for refusing to get the shot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The idea to start this caucus came at a social gathering of Parliamentarians early last month in Ottawa, after the first post-election caucus meeting, Ms. Gladu (Sarnia-Lambton, Ont.) told The Hill Times.<\/em> At the time, a number of caucus members expressed concerns about some of their constituents losing their jobs in a variety of professions for refusing to get vaccinated. With House committees seeming unlikely to meet until February, the three-term MP said there\u2019s no parliamentary forum in the interim where MPs can have a serious discussion on this issue. Ms. Gladu said this is the reason \u201clike-minded\u201d MPs and Senators decided to start this caucus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Canadian politics and policy stories that are shaping the day. Weekdays. By entering your email address you consent to receive email from The Hill Times containing news, analysis, updates and offers. You may unsubscribe at any time.<\/strong> See our privacy policy<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Since that meeting, Ms. Gladu said some Conservatives MPs and Senators have had four Zoom meetings to discuss the path forward to highlight this issue and what they can do to encourage employers to find a \u201creasonable accommodation\u201d for these workers. In her own Ontario riding, she said, 18 nurses lost their jobs early this week for refusing to get vaccinated. Ms. Gladu suggested rather than firing people from their jobs, employers can use rapid tests to determine whether staff are COVID-19 positive, or transfer them to positions that do not involve contact with patients. On Nov. 8, in the evening, she said some Conservative MPs and Senators are meeting online to finalize the nuts and bolts of how they want to run this caucus. Conservative Party Leader Erin O\u2019Toole is facing an uphill internal battle over the divisive issue of vaccinations. The Hill Times photograph by Sam Garcia<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Ms. Gladu said the House committee approach is under consideration as a model to follow, whereby the caucus could invite experts to guide members about possible solutions. The caucus is considering launching a Facebook page to provide updates to their constituents about the caucus\u2019 work and may invite them to participate, she said. She said the group has not formally informed Mr. O\u2019Toole or the opposition leader\u2019s office about this caucus as it\u2019s an informal group and it\u2019s not unusual for Parliamentarians to start caucuses on issues of interest. She also said that it\u2019s highly unlikely that the leadership would try to shut it down as there are other caucuses on \u201ccontroversial\u201d issues, such as the pro-life caucus that has been in existence for years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ms. Gladu denied the \u201cCivil Liberties Caucus\u201d is aimed to undermine or challenge Mr. O\u2019Toole\u2019s leadership and said she hoped other federal parties don\u2019t exploit this issue as the caucus members are only trying to help their constituents. The group chose \u201ccivil liberties\u201d as a name, she explained, because they believe Canadians who don\u2019t want to be vaccinated are not getting fair treatment, and losing their jobs is a violation of their rights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI would really encourage every MP to listen to constituents in their ridings, because across the country, people are concerned about these things,\u201d said Ms. Gladu, who declined to share the names of other caucus members until next week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOur job as MPs is to raise the issues that our constituents are bringing, and ask the important questions and get the experts in on it, and set a path to take action to make sure that people\u2019s rights and freedoms are protected. And that\u2019s why we\u2019re sort of looking at the name of civil liberties. I mean, it\u2019s basically these are the areas where we feel people\u2019s [rights] are being encroached.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, she conceded that being a member of this group could also affect an MPs\u2019 prospects of promotion in the party\u2019s shadow cabinet, noting it\u2019s a possibility that every member has to consider before joining the group. Ms. Gladu said that the membership of this caucus could grow beyond 30.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat is possible, and people will have to choose what their priorities are,\u201d said Ms. Gladu, adding that the only reason this caucus started is to help out constituents. \u201cNo, I don\u2019t think that this is very controversial. Honestly, these are issues that are being raised by our constituents, and we were put here to basically represent their needs and make sure that those issues are raising in government, and that\u2019s what we\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the recently announced new rules of the House Board of Internal Economy, anyone who is not vaccinated cannot enter parliamentary buildings or the Chamber. The Liberal, NDP. and Bloc Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois have publicly announced that their caucus members are fully vaccinated. But, on the Conservative side, there are some MPs who are not vaccinated. The number however is unknown. According to a survey by CBC<\/a> of all Conservative MPs, 81 said they are fully vaccinated, three declined to share their vaccination status and 35 did not respond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Conservative Party\u2019s official position is that it will follow the House rules, but plan to challenge the edict as a point of privilege in the House on the grounds that MPs should be making these rules, not the nine-member all-party Board of Internal Economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some Conservative caucus sources told The Hill Times<\/em> this week that these unvaccinated MPs will try to enter the building and it will become an issue that will yet again highlight the party\u2019s internal divisions on the topic. And if that happens, that could result in caucus expulsions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019ll tell you this: Nov. 22, can be a very interesting day,\u201d said one Conservative MP who spoke to The Hill Times<\/em> on not for attribution basis to offer their candid opinion. \u201cBecause I believe there are Conservative Members of Parliament who are unvaccinated who are going to try and get into the Parliament buildings anyways. So, they\u2019re not going to follow the rules, despite what we\u2019ve decided as a caucus. And what happens after that? I think they\u2019re going to be kicked out of caucus.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n After this, Conservative sources said the next date to watch for is former Conservative MP James Cumming review report of the party\u2019s election performance. At the first caucus meeting after the election, all caucus members were told that Mr. Cumming, who lost his seat in the Sept. 20 election, will conduct a comprehensive review of the last election and present his report to the leader by Dec. 31 and the leader will share this report with the caucus. Former Alberta Conservative MP James Cumming is conducting a comprehensive review of the party\u2019s election performance. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Mr. Cumming told The Hill Times<\/em> that he is trying to complete his report as soon as he can. But, considering that the holiday season is starting next month, he was not sure if he would be able to complete the report by Dec. 31. Mr. Cumming declined to say when he would submit his report. For his review, Mr. Cumming said that so far he has talked to about 50 people, including candidates, MPs, campaign managers, staff who were directly involved in the campaign and some who were not. These conversations involve both in-person and phone conversations. He said that he has one staffer who is helping him with co-ordination and documentation of these meetings. Mr. Cumming said that he might be reimbursed for his expenses but said that it\u2019s not decided whether he would get paid for his time spent on this report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI haven\u2019t picked an end date yet,\u201d said Mr. Cumming. \u201cBut I would tell you that again, my drive is to make sure that it\u2019s comprehensive and that it\u2019s based upon I\u2019ve received enough information, be able to prepare a good report?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The vaccination issue was one of the key reasons the Conservatives failed to unseat the Liberal government in the last election, according to Greg Lyle, president of Innovative Research. Even now, the party is divided, and he said a new caucus speaking up for Canadians who don\u2019t want to get vaccinated will be seen as a challenge to Mr. O\u2019Toole\u2019s leadership. He said that a clear majority of Canadians are in support of vaccination and Conservative Party is divided, so it portrays Mr. O\u2019Toole as a weak leader. It appears Mr. O\u2019Toole is trying to downplay the issue, he said, while some of the caucus members are highlighting it, making it difficult for the party to win next time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s pretty much a direct leadership challenge to Erin O\u2019Toole,\u201d said Mr. Lyle, a prominent pollster. \u201cWhich makes him look weak, which doesn\u2019t help him in his competition if he stays on as leader. And No. 2, it\u2019s offside with the vast majority of Canadians. \u2026 Given that O\u2019Toole said he is going to respect the ruling, it\u2019s a direct attack on his leadership, there\u2019s just no other way to look at it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Conservative sources said that there are a lot of conversations happening within the caucus as to the possibility of holding a caucus review of Mr. O\u2019Toole. At this time, they said, it appears a third of the caucus is on the leader\u2019s side, a third is against the leader, and a third is in wait and see mode. They said that one reason some caucus members are undecided is because they don\u2019t seen a prominent person willing to run for the party leadership who could succeed Mr. O\u2019Toole and win the next election. But others say, right now, the leader\u2019s position is not open, and no one knows who the potential candidates are. Once the position opens up, they said, there will be candidates who can win the next election for the party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe ballot question cannot be who\u2019s in the wings,\u201d said a senior Conservative. \u201cThe ballot question has to be, can O\u2019Toole win or not? That\u2019s got to be the ballot question. If that seat [leader\u2019s position] becomes available, then there\u2019ll be plenty of people stepping forward.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Hill Times<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n CLARIFICATION: This story was updated on Nov. 4 to clarify that the quote in the original headline calling the new intra-party caucus \u201ca direct challenge\u201d to Conservative Leader Erin O\u2019Toole\u2019s leadership was from pollster Greg Lyle, not a member of the new caucus. As noted in the piece, Conservative MP Marilyn Gladu has said it is not meant as a challenge to Mr. O\u2019Toole\u2019s leadership. The Hill Times apologizes for any confusion.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In a move pollster calls \u2018a direct challenge\u2019 to O\u2019Toole\u2019s leadership, 15 to 30 Tory MPs and Senators starting new caucus to speak up for anti-vaxxers losing jobs By Abbas Rana November 4, 2021 But three-term Conservative MP Marilyn Gladu says … Continue reading Get Today’s Headlines Newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nCanadians\u2019 rights \u2018are being encroached\u2019 on: Gladu<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Election performance review end date up in the air<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nNew group makes O\u2019Toole \u2018look weak,\u2019 says pollster<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n