He said that as travel and conference restrictions begin to relax nationwide, and Zoom phones are replaced by province-by-province zooming, this can be made up in the coming weeks.

“We are basically where we started, just like this country-waiting to reopen,” he said. “And only one political party has a plan. We launched a five-point recovery plan in March to get people to work.”

‘People will hear the news’

The plan is called “Securing the Future” and includes a promise to restore 1 million jobs lost during the pandemic within a year, a new anti-corruption law, which will include stricter conflicts of interest and lobbying rules, And vowed to balance the budget for the next ten years.

“When we are back on the road, when we open around Canada’s National Day, when many provinces will reduce restrictions, people will hear this message,” he said. “And I think the government is often caught in moral scandals, constantly separating one part of the country from another, which makes me tired.”

A week before the annual summer vacation in the House of Representatives, O’Toole spent a lot of time piecing together the theme of a campaign platform that accused the Liberal Party of being more concerned with rewarding their political friends than helping Canadians recover from the pandemic. come.

Watch: O’Toole’s record of chasing Trudeau in the final QP before the summer vacation

“My question is simple for the prime minister-will he promise Canadians that he and his cabinet will never violate another law?” O’Toole said Wednesday, staring directly at the camera at a person at home. Prime Minister who participated in the questioning period during isolation.

Trudeau replied: “Although Conservative politicians focus on baseless personal attacks, we are unwaveringly focused on serving Canadians through the Progress Act.”

Become personalized

This obvious personal advantage—the opposition leader’s pursuit of the prime minister’s moral standards—is not a complete departure from Canadian politics.

The former leader of the New Democratic Party, Tom Mulcair, did this to the then Prime Minister Stephen Harper. O’Toole’s predecessor Andrew Schell tried the same strategy when Trudeau participated in the 2019 general election.

Facts have proved that this is not a successful strategy for opposition leaders.

O’Toole said that if Canadians vote later this summer, he thinks he will have a different result.

He made a list of the ethical lapses of the current government: The Federal Ethics Commissioner conducted three investigations into the Prime Minister, and two investigations into Bill Mono, the former Minister of Finance, who insisted that he had misconducted sexual acts against the former Secretary of Defense. The allegation is unknown to the staff.

“Well, I think people vote for their local councillors. They vote for political parties. They also vote based on leadership. I think Mr. Trudeau did not show moral leadership. This is very important to me,” he said.

“As a middle-class man from the suburbs of Toronto and serving in the military… Upholding justice, honesty and putting the country first are what I have done in my entire adult life. And I think Mr. Trudeau is different Culture.

“[It’s] It is not a personal attack on him. As I said, in terms of reconciliation and other things, I know he is sincere. He just never delivers and keeps letting people down. “

But O’Toole’s challenge is not limited to a more well-known opponent, who happens to be the prime minister.

With the relaxation of restrictions this summer, his first visit will be Alberta, the stronghold of the Conservative Party, where the separatist Mavericks are threatening to run for candidates. Governor Jason Kenney, one of O’Toole’s most prominent supporters, also faces his own government challenges in responding to the pandemic.

For O’Toole, Kenny and Ontario’s Conservative Governor Doug Ford and Manitoba’s Brian Pallister may be more of a burden than a promotion in the campaign.

O’Toole said he is not worried, and Canadians understand the difference between provincial and federal politics. He said he blamed the Trudeau government for the problems these governors faced during the pandemic.

He said: “This is a challenging environment for all governors because Ottawa approves vaccines, signs contracts and closes borders.” “If they make mistakes — they do — provinces will pay the price.

“I hope more Canadians will see the opportunity to move the country forward in a positive way. I just want them to look at the Conservative Party.”

Of course, O’Toole also hopes that Canadians like what they see.