John Tory facing tough three years as Conservative leader: observers
By Chinta Puxley, THE CANADIAN PRESS
TORONTO - John Tory faces a difficult three years as Conservative leader after a divisive vote of confidence over the weekend that was supposed to silence his critics and their questions about his leadership, but ended up doing the opposite, political observers said Monday.
Tory said it's time to move on after nearly 67 per cent of delegates rejected holding a leadership contest, but that will be easier said than done with critics nipping at his heels for months to come, said political science professor David Docherty.
"These are troubling times for the Conservative party," said Docherty, dean of arts at Wilfrid Laurier University. "They're in a bit of a self-inflicted jam at the moment."
The question of Tory's leadership has created a nasty schism within the party.
While supporters argued Tory learned from the mistakes of the October election, a vocal group of party members lobbied hard for a leadership review, saying he squandered the campaign and doesn't deserve a second chance.
Saturday's vote did little to silence critics who say serious doubts about Tory's leadership still remain.
With one-third of the party voting to oust Tory, Docherty said it puts wind in the sails of potential successors like veteran party members Tim Hudak and Christine Elliott, or even federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, who sought the job back in 2002 but came second to Ernie Eves.
Tory seemed to play right into their hands this weekend by taking hours to decide whether to stay on after the voting results were announced at the party's annual meeting, Docherty added.
Tory should have walked on stage right away and immediately declared his intention to remain at the helm with the support of two-thirds of the party, he said.
"That would have put it to rest and it would have made any groundswell of support for other individuals seem like an attack on John Tory's leadership," Docherty said.
"Now, it seems a natural reaction to someone who seems indecisive. That's the problem he's got himself in."
Tory is especially vulnerable because he still doesn't have a seat in the legislature, added McMaster University professor Henry Jacek.
Although Tory has said he's in no hurry to win himself a seat, Jacek said it's difficult to unite the party and hold the Liberals to account without the profile that goes along with holding a seat in the legislature.
Even if Tory was in a hurry to run, Jacek said he would be most comfortable seeking a seat in an urban riding - very few of which are currently held by Conservatives.
"The fact that he's not in the legislature will continue to fuel his critics," Jacek said. "It's going to be a hard slog for John Tory. People are going to be biting at his heels right up until the next election."
An aide said Tory was in "back-to-back" meetings Monday and wasn't available for comment.
In a letter sent Monday to Conservative members, Tory urged party faithful to unite behind him. Delegates decided on Saturday that the party is better off fighting the Liberals than fighting each other, he said.
"Leadership review produce tensions in a political party because they force people to choose sides in an internal family discussion," Tory wrote. "I am asking people to put those discussions behind us and move forward."
That's going to be difficult, his critics say.
One party veteran, who asked not to be identified, said many feel the results of the vote didn't give Tory the support he needed to lead the Conservatives into the 2011 election.
Tory's indecision about whether he wanted to continue on in the job following the vote just underlined the concerns many had about his leadership, the source said.
"He seemed to miss a big opportunity to lay out any sort of plan for the future or a plan to reach out to disenfranchised members at the convention," the Conservative said. "It's a bit doubtful that he has one."
Another party member said people will be looking for bold action, not another listening tour of the province.
"Leadership is about concrete action," the source said. "It's not about making phone calls."
Tory supporter John Capobianco said the leader is well aware of the hard feelings that persist following the weekend meeting. But he said Tory will do what he did following the last leadership contest and reach out to his harshest critics.
"The convention was a very positive step to cleanse and heal the wounds," said Capobianco.
"It allowed people to voice their concerns. The next step is to acknowledge and to hear what the other side has been saying and make the changes."
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