Conservative leadership contender Tony Clement says he wouldn't be happy if interim party leader Rona Ambrose took a public position on one of his proposals, much as she did with fellow leadership contestant Kellie Leitch.
Last week, that she didn't support that potential immigrants be screened for anti-Canadian values. The proposal started as a question on a survey to supporters, but Leitch later fleshed it out by listing the values she considers anti-Canadian: intolerance, violent or misogynistic behaviour, a lack of acceptance of Canadian personal freedoms, and a lack of acceptance of economic freedoms. She hasn鈥檛 said how she would screen for those values, or what to do about Canadians who hold those values.
Speaking on Monday to Don Martin, host of CTV's Power Play, Clement suggested it wasn't Ambrose's place to criticize Leitch's proposal.
"I wouldn't be happy and I'm sure Kellie isn't happy [that] Rona had an opinion," said Clement, the MP for Ontario's Parry Sound-Muskoka riding.
"We're going to have lots of debate with a lot of candidates, it appears, which is great. So the party is going to go through this process and we're going to have lots of opportunity to disagree. I think that's important that we have different policies and different perspectives, and then we have to unite."
On Sunday, , host of CTV鈥檚 Question Period, that she鈥檚 "disappointed that an interim leader would engage themselves in the leadership race." Leitch said her campaign is discussing Ambrose's comments with the interim leader's office, as well as within the party, but didn't say whether she'd file a formal complaint with the party.
in an interview Monday with CTV's Your Morning, saying Leitch's proposal was simply a survey question when she first responded to it.
"When I weighed in, it was literally just a survey question," Ambrose said.
"This idea of talking about our values is valid, but I think we have to recognize that as a government, the Conservative government, our record is very pro-immigration and that's an important part of Canada and important part of our social fabric."
Ambrose said she thinks Leitch is trying to talk about Conservative Party values, including "lower taxes, entrepreneurship, hard-working families, respect for communities." But, asked who the party needs as a leader, she suggested the candidates stick to financial issues.
"The person that will win will be the person that best articulates the things that matter to ordinary Canadians," she said.
"There's a lot of people that are out of work right now. There's a lot of people that can't pay their bills. There's a lot of people that are worried about their kids, their futures, whether or not they're going to be able to save enough for university. These are real issues in our economy for regular, ordinary Canadians.... The person that wins will have the best success if they focus on those issues."
