Fault lines have continued to widen within Progressive Conservative ranks as a sampling of candidates across Ontario reveals splintered party support for leader John Tory's pledge to fund private religious schools.
Of 91 Conservative candidates contacted in the past week by the Canadian Press in the wake of Tory's promise to hold a free vote on the proposal, 28 — slightly fewer than one-third — said they would vote against it.
"If it were held today, based on what I know, and based on what I've been hearing from my constituents, I would vote against the proposal," said Peterborough candidate Bruce Fitzpatrick.
"When [my constituents] do express an opinion on it, and by no means all the time, they're simply not comfortable with it."
It appears few Conservative candidates are willing to line up in support of the proposal. Only 11 said they would support it.
The bulk of the candidates (52) toed the party line, insisting they'd prefer to hold public consultations or examine studies on the proposal before making up their minds.
The remaining candidates did not return repeated telephone calls.
Privately, several Conservatives conceded Tory should have moved more quickly to quell the faith-based schools firestorm before it engulfed the campaign.
One longtime Conservative privately wondered whether Tory would even win his Don Valley West riding, suggesting the party leader was trailing Liberal incumbent Kathleen Wynne, the province's education minister.
Another said Tory shouldn't have waited until nine days before the election to announce that he'd allow caucus members to vote with their consciences in the legislature.
The Toronto-area candidate said while he expected a small bounce-back at the polls, it likely wouldn't be enough to unseat a Liberal majority.
The Conservatives have not done a good job of getting their message across, said Oak Ridges-Markham candidate Phil Bannon, adding he raised the issue with party brass several weeks ago.
'It's not understood'
At that time, he said, the Conservatives he spoke with "felt comfortable" with poll numbers and didn't see the need to address the faith-based issue.
"The reason I don't support it is because it's not understood," Bannon said.
"The message has not been communicated properly and there's fear-mongering out there. People are afraid of this system because they're afraid of what is being sold by other parties. The messaging has not been right with this."
The divided results suggest "deeper trouble" for the Conservatives, and could in fact result in "unexpected consequences" on party ideology — perhaps shifting it further to the right on the political spectrum, said University of Toronto political scientist Stephen Clarkson.
"If this inadvertently gives the message that John Tory's 'progressive' conservatism has failed, then the lesson within the Conservative party could be, 'Well, then we should go back to Mike Harris's tried-and-true, successful right-wing conservatism,' " Clarkson said.
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Ontario Votes 2007 »
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District Profiles
More Ontario Votes Headlines »
- McGuinty wins massive majority, Tory loses seat
- Dalton McGuinty won a second majority government for the Liberals in Ontario on Wednesday night, a triumph for a party that earlier expressed fears of a drop to minority status.
- Ontario rejects electoral reform in referendum
- Ontario voters have rejected a proposed electoral reform that would have seen some provincial legislators chosen based on a party's share of the popular vote, results showed Thursday.
- Ontario voter turnout a record low
- The percentage of eligible voters casting ballots in Wednesday's Ontario election hit an all-time low despite changes introduced in an effort to boost turnout.
- Ont. Green party scores 8 per cent of vote
- No Green party candidates made it to the Ontario legislature in Wednesday's election, but that defeat was sweetened by a swell in their share of the popular vote, which more than doubled.
- McGuinty only leader not facing leadership questions
- Liberal Leader Dalton McGuinty won re-election in Ottawa South and NDP Leader Howard Hampton again won his northern Ontario riding of Kenora-Rainy River. PC Leader John Tory was defeated.
