Another day, and Erin O’Toole has yet another position on gun control. In the face of more questions on just where he stands, O’Toole now says that he’ll keep the existing prohibitions in place – but remains cagey on just what those are, never mind that his platform says he’ll repeal them. Also, never mind that his own candidates are saying they’ll repeal the measures the current government put into place.

What is fascinating as well is to watch certain small-c conservative columnists report on this about-face, saying things like this might save O’Toole’s campaign, rather than, oh, this is yet another example of him swallowing himself whole, reversing his positions when it suits him, saying one thing to one group and another thing to another group if he thinks he can get away with it, and generally being a naked opportunist. And these tend to be the same talking heads who spend days if the Liberals “flip-flop” on a position. I expect we’ll see a few more days of questions to O’Toole on his changing positions, and whether they change again in another day or two.

CPC leader @erinotoole just did a flip on gun control and is NOW saying he’ll maintain the 2020 order in council to ban assault-style weapons.
He was asked about it 10 times yesterday and didn’t answer.
Today says he’ll keep it until a reclassification review #cdnpoli #Elxn44 pic.twitter.com/3RIU1eJJQ6

— Mike Le Couteur (@mikelecouteur) September 5, 2021

On the campaign trail:

• Justin Trudeau was in Markham, Ontario, to flesh out their promises around gun control (seeing as that wedge seems to have traction).
• Trudeau also met with workers at the Toronto General Hospital, and later, there were more angry protesters to meet Trudeau in Newmarket, ON.
• Trudeau also claims to be “frustrated” by the Raj Saini situation.
• Erin O’Toole was in Vancouver to pledge to hire 200 more RCMP officers in order to tackle crime.
• Jagmeet Singh was in Ottawa to offer his plan on fighting the fourth wave, as well as a new law to criminalize harassing or assaulting health care workers.
• Here is a look at the politics around the “third link” project in Quebec City, and how that is playing out in the federal election, especially with the Bloc.
• The Conservative candidate in Central Nova has apologised for sharing racist memes over Facebook.
• Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami president Natan Obed says the choices for reconciliation in this election are stark, pointing to the Liberal funding delivered to date.

Good reads:

• Yesterday marked 1000 days that Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor have been arbitrarily detained in China.
• Harjit Sajjan has requested a briefing after sexualised comments by senior naval officers resulted in no discipline.
• Supriya Dwivedi reminds us of why the Conservative approach to vaccinations is incoherent and won’t end the pandemic.

Odds and ends:

My Loonie Politics Quick Take recaps week three of the campaign.

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