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Erin O’Toole responds to Willy Wonka ad backlash by complaining about how divided Canada is

by Matthew Renfrew

The irony and hypocrisy of the reply seems to have been lost on O’Toole.

At a press conference yesterday following Justin Trudeau’s election announcement, Erin O’Toole was asked about the notoriously awful Willy Wonka ad posted by the Conservative Party of Canada last week. He was asked to comment on the members of his own party who’ve expressed disappointment and embarrassment over the attack ad’s content and overall execution.

“How much of a setback is it for you, considering how the caucus members spoke out against it?” the reporter asked.

Not surprisingly, Erin O’Toole did not answer the question, choosing instead to highlight division in Canada, which he of course blamed on Justin Trudeau. The choice of this particular deflection in response to a question about a) an attack ad, which is inherently divisive, and b) an ad that is sowing division within his party, is of course ironic and hypocritical, but O’Toole went with it anyway.

“Conservatives are united. We don’t think we should be having an election in the fourth wave, but we do see the division caused by Mr. Trudeau. We do see the flight of jobs and investment in our country. Our country has never been so divided and we’re going to present a serious plan.”

–Erin O’Toole

Following the ad’s posting on Friday, numerous Conservative MPs, notably Todd Doherty and Scott Aitchison spoke out about the ad, calling it “embarrassing” and “dumb.”

Erin O’Toole responds to Willy Wonka ad backlash by complaining about how divided Canada is

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by Matthew Renfrew

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