Canada risks 'permanent state of chaos' if politicians don't smarten up about social media, O'Toole says
Former Conservative leader says some conspiracy theories are 'two or three steps away from antisemitism'
Erin O'Toole says the siren song of social media has led some Canadian politicians astray and elected leaders must work to bridge a growing gap in Canadian society.
The Durham MP, former cabinet minister and former leader of the federal Conservatives is leaving politics at the end of the current sitting of Parliament. He spoke with CBC's The House in his office and on Parliament Hill about his time in politics and how he's seen social media change politics — especially during his leadership.
"I think the pandemic was like a pressure cooker on some of the divisions that were already there, and it accelerated social media and this algorithmic descent into division that we're seeing," O'Toole told host Catherine Cullen.
"I think politicians have an important role of making sure that doesn't become a permanent state of chaos."
O'Toole's comments echoed his final speech in the House of Commons, delivered earlier this week. In it, he called on politicians to work across party lines and consider one another's perspectives.
O'Toole told The House that some MPs (he didn't name names) don't always work in the national interest.
"There are some MPs, on all sides in the House … that don't look at the best needs of the country first," he said.
"They sometimes listen to the loudest voices on their social media channels and think that's the will of the people."
He also addressed some persistent conspiracy theories related to the World Economic Forum (WEF) and the United Nations.
"Well, my worry with some of the online conspiracy theories about global government and things like this, they're two or three steps away from antisemitism," he said. "And so, if you do not challenge some of these prevailing memes or threads going around the Internet, it's only going to get worse."
O'Toole said Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's promise to never send cabinet members to the WEF was a "fair" place to draw the line — but added Canada risks being left out of a global conversation.
And while conspiracy theories about global government are most prominent on the political right, O'Toole said some left-wing social media rhetoric, particularly regarding corporations, is also problematic.
"These are all portrayals of the 'other' that is driving a bit of a wedge in our society," he said.
O'Toole admitted he hasn't always struck the right tone in his own communications.
In 2020, he apologized for saying residential schools were set up to "provide education."
That same year, O'Toole posted a video in which he offered to move Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to a new office — and gestured at a portable toilet.
He also hired Jeff Ballingall to run his digital strategy during his leadership run. Ballingall first came to national prominence as a result of the success of his social media networks Ontario Proud and Canada Proud in mobilizing online conservative supporters using at times controversial memes.
"So, I said in my speech, I am not some lily-white person saying I've been perfect and all of you that are staying behind me are having challenges," O'Toole told Cullen.
O'Toole told Cullen that his communications during the leadership race were geared toward a more narrow party base which led to more of a "meme culture."
"Was it always executed perfectly? No," he said. "But I do think each year it seems like the pressure and the division from these platforms gets worse, and that's why it's one thing I've noticed when I got here."
Views on proportional representation changing
O'Toole also said that the changes in the political landscape driven by the rise of social media has also spurred an evolution in his ideas about electoral reform.
O'Toole dismissed the idea of proportional representation in April 2021, although he mused about the possibility of Australia-style mandatory voting. In September 2021, he became the second consecutive Conservative leader (after Andrew Scheer in 2019) to lose an election while winning more votes than any other party.
"I've over time started changing my views on proportional representation," he said. "I fought strongly against it after Mr. Trudeau proposed it because it can lock in permanent protest parties and things like this."
"But now that these are going to be locked in through social media, perhaps this is something we need to take a serious look at so that we can have more of a brokerage approach for Parliaments in the future."
O'Toole said he has been slowly packing up his office — filled with memorabilia gathered or gifted to him over a decade of public life. He called the experience "bittersweet."
"I do have some regrets and every morning I read the paper, there's something that makes me think, 'Hey, we had a great policy for that.' Or I see something on mental health or reconciliation [and say], 'Gosh, I wish I had the ability to to make more of an impact," he said. "But I'm also at peace.
"I really felt like I had lived a life of service and experience that would have given me the judgment needed to do the job. But we live in a democracy, and the people didn't agree — or a few of them did, but not enough seats to win.'
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