One of the most senior members of the Conservative Party leadership ring has resigned following Erin O’Toole’s decision to fire the Yukon candidate.
Ted Laking, who was the Yukon National Councillor resigned his position Friday morning, according to multiple sources within the party speaking to The Counter Signal off the record.
Jonas J. Smith, the Yukon candidate for the CPC, was booted out of the party by Erin O’Toole on Thursday after rumours spread that he was personally opposed to vaccine mandates and passports.
It was widely expected Smith would win the Yukon race.
Smith had also represented the party in the previous election, nearly winning the territory during the 2019 federal election by a less-than-one-percent margin. Despite his obvious popularity, toeing the party line and its position on vaccines apparently takes precedence over potentially winning an election.
BREAKING – Jonas J. Smith Disallowed as @CPC_HQ Candidate for the #Yukon #ytpoli #Election2021 https://t.co/49HjphJkBh
— Jonas J. Smith (@jonasjsmith) August 12, 2021
According to Smith, the party’s decision to remove him is based on his “opposition to calls for implementation of mandated workplace vaccinations and vaccine passport requirements in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Put bluntly, Smith is against vaccine passports, but the party is not.
“This comes as shocking news to me, my family, my local campaign team and my thousands of supporters across the territory,” said Smith in a press release. “With an election call imminent, this is devastating news for the conservative movement in the Yukon and I fear will have repercussions across the country.”
Moreover, Smith says that the decision has likely come from the “central campaign,” which is led by Erin O’Toole. Regrettably, O’Toole has been increasingly parroting Liberal talking points regarding vaccine mandates, much to the chagrin of his Conservative colleagues.
“I believe in standing up for the rights of all minorities,” Smith continues, “including those of the unvaccinated – be it for medical, religious or personal reasons – and that our country needs less discrimination, not more.
“Generations of Canadians have fought for our Section 15 Charter rights, as well as freedom of choice when it comes to matters of bodily-autonomy, and these proposed vaccination-related restrictions will vastly alter what kind of country our children will inherit.”
Beyond the ethical implications of removing a candidate for expressing his views on vaccine passports, this decision will undoubtedly have long-term ramifications. It is likely that a snap election is just around the corner, and each party needs its most popular, competent candidates ready to go. It is uncertain if the CPC will be able to find one on such short notice.
