How The Media Made Kellie Leitch Our Trump Impersonator

I must admit I still find it hard to believe that an educated person like Kellie Leitch is doing what she is doing.

Trying to whip up xenophobia for crass political purposes. And sounding more extreme   with every passing day...



Or more insane. For what else can you call a member of the elites inciting her own supporters to attack others like her?

Or calling on them to undermine the will of Parliament.



By installing permanent rule by referendum.

As Prime Minister, I will introduce the Let the People Speak Act which will bring in a system for citizen-initiated referendums. No longer will politicians and elites be able to ignore you. With the signatures of 3% of registered voters, Canadians will be able to hold a referendum to amend existing legislation or to require the introduction and debate of citizen-initiated legislation.

So needless to say I also find it hard to believe that Leitch is leading the Con leadership race, as mediocre as the other candidates may be.

But for that it seems there is an explanation.

Our hapless Con media helped make her Canada's would be Trump impersonator.



Although Leitch was the first to enter the race in April, she failed to gain traction and badly trailed other contenders in opinion polls.

Then, at the beginning of September, Leitch proposed screening immigrants and visitors for “anti-Canadian values.”

Leitch is now a front-runner in the leadership race, according to opinion polls — a development that occurred in as little as two weeks after her values screening proposal was introduced.

By giving her so much free publicity...



In the top panel you can see that Leitch got little coverage during the summer. But once she started talking about screening immigrants for “anti-Canadian values,” her average share of news coverage jumped from 13 percent to 47 percent.

And focusing so much on her xenophobic plan at the expense of all the other issues.

Even though it should be obvious that Leitch's campaign couldn't be more contrived.





Even she probably doesn't believe what she is saying.

Two former staffers of Conservative leadership candidate Kellie Leitch say they’re shocked by her sudden embrace of Donald Trump and identity politics — and think the strategy reflects opportunism rather than the candidate’s personal beliefs.

And more importantly, anti-immigrant sentiment is NOT a big problem in Canada.

And making it sound like it is only riles up the racists in this country...



And encourages them to do nasty things.

And the good news? 

The fact that a candidate like Leitch could be leading the Con leadership race tells you a lot about the race...



Tells you it's still the Harper Party, and it's still going nowhere.

And the even better news?

Canada really does work. We're an amazingly diverse country, but somehow despite our differences we've managed to avoid the problems other countries are going through.

And we all get along peacefully together.

And there can be no better example of that than this video of three guys in snowy Halifax, which although you may have seen it on TV. 

I just HAD to run because it's so great...



And it is my Canada, where diversity is strength AND cool.

Kellie Leitch should take her ghastly anti-immigrant campaign somewhere else.

Start shovelling snow instead of manure.

And focus on being a better Canadian...