O'Toole OK with process to set up 'civil liberties' caucus, MP says

Ottawa -

Longtime Conservative MP Marilyn Gladu, who has been the face of the new intra-party caucus to raise the concerns of the unvaccinated in Canada, says Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole supports the initiative to create the group.

In an interview on CTV’s Question Period airing Sunday, Gladu also said that all members of the new caucus – between 15 and 30 Conservative MPs and Senators – support the leader, and that forming the group isn’t a sign of an internal rift.

“I support Erin, everyone that is in this working group supports Erin. These working groups are a very typical way that we do business whenever there is an issue that Conservative MPs have in common that they want to get on,” she said.

“We have a little working caucus, and so Erin approves of the process. We will do the, you know, the digging into the issues, hearing from experts, stakeholders, and then bring back that information to caucus.”

She also told CTV News Channel’s Power Play on Friday that they’ve had a “conversation” with the leader and he “understands” this is a another working group.

Gladu said mandatory testing and vaccine disclosure are among the concerns she’s heard from constituents.

“People are being forced to disclose this. And that is another issue that we need to talk about because what's next? What next, will you be forced to disclose about your medical history?” she said.

Gladu wouldn't say if she was vaccinated against COVID-19, citing “medical privacy purposes.”

Among her colleagues, she said, there are a couple of medical exemptions and a couple people that haven’t disclosed, but it’s likely a “handful” of people aren’t yet vaccinated.

Along the federal election campaign, O’Toole fielded criticism for not imposing a mandatory vaccine policy among his candidates, and continues to refuse to say how many of his 118 MPs are unvaccinated.

While O’Toole is fully vaccinated and has encouraged Canadians to get roll up their sleeves, he has suggested rapid testing should be offered as an alternative.

The Board of Internal Economy has announced a vaccine mandate for the House of Commons, requiring MPs to be vaccinated to enter the Chamber in-person as of Nov. 22. It’s a decision that members of the Conservative caucus have questioned, amid widespread support within the other parties.

O’Toole announced last week that the party would “respect and abide by” the decision but would be challenging it at the “earliest opportunity.”

After last week’s caucus meeting, O’Toole told reporters that his caucus agreed that when the new session begins, only fully-vaccinated Conservatives or those with valid medical exemptions who have been recently rapid-tested will be taking part in the House proceedings in-person next month.

CTVNews.ca reached out to Mr. O’Toole’s office on Thursday and Friday regarding the formation of the new “civil liberties caucus” but hasn’t received a response.

Conservative strategist Jamie Ellerton says while the group may not be a direct challenge to O’Toole’s leadership, it no doubt is a challenge for his leadership.

“I think the ambiguity around the Conservative Party’s position as it relates to mandatory vaccination, which is offside with the vast majority of Canadians, is a real political issue for him to manage,” he said on CTV News Channel’s Power Play on Friday.

Gladu said that the group will sift through “multiple sources of data” and suggest “reasonable solutions” to both keep people safe and make sure personal freedoms are protected.

She compared the COVID-19 virus to the polio disease that spread in the first half of the 20th century, but noted the coronavirus doesn’t pose the same “frequency of risk.”

“In terms of the risk people that got polio, many of them died and many of them were crippled, and that is not the same frequency of risk that we see with COVID-19…I’m just receiving the information from medical experts that talk about the relative risk. I'm not a doctor myself.”

Gladu said they’ll have a better idea of caucus numbers after shadow ministers are named and MPs can decipher how much time they can devote to the cause.