Why I am Voting for Kellie Leitch

My Conservative Party of Canada leadership race ballot with Kellie Leitch as my only choice.

When I think about why I am voting for Kellie Leitch, many things come to mind: her toughness, courage, certitude, intelligence, stamina, and many other character strengths; a platform that consists of bold, common-sense policy proposals that are the much needed solutions to many of Canada's problems; her impressive performances at each leadership debate; her effective use of social media to make her platform and campaign better known and understood; her outreach to Canadians across the country; and the overall successful execution of a well thought-out and planned campaign.

Above all else, what stands out about Kellie Leitch is her patriotism: a common thread that runs through her entire campaign. It is expressed in a most identifiable way through her unwavering determination to protect and promote our Canadian identity with her Screening For Canadian Values policy proposal, which has resonated very well with me right from the start.

No other candidate can compare to Kellie's character strengths; nor, have any been able to match her policy proposals!

I vividly recall from my initial discovery of the candidates' platforms that none of them had impressed me except for Kellie Leitch's. Her platform was detailed and available on line from day one of her campaign launch, and it was presented in a very clear, complete, and forthcoming manner. How refreshing is that to see in a candidate?

Leitch's campaign has excited and given new hope to millions of Canadians; two-thirds of which share and support Kellie's vision for the future of Canada.

Part of that excitement stems from another impressive aspect about Kellie Leitch: she has been the only candidate unafraid to challenge the status quo and the political correctness that the mainstream media and elites continue to impose upon Canadians.

My own excitement and enthusiasm for Kellie's campaign has been funnelled through a dedicated blogging and social media effort. Today's blog post is the sixth in a series of blog posts that I have written since January of this year, in support of Kellie's candidacy for the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada.

I firmly believe that it is important to not only vote, but to get involved in the political process, if you are really serious about making a difference and affecting a long lasting, positive change in society.

The remainder of this post expands upon getting involved in the political process; elaborates on Kellie's tough immigration stance including her important message of February 2; details Kellie's response to the illegal border crossings at Emerson, Manitoba; includes a brief note on Kellie's strength of character; and concludes with my encouragement to all those who remain undecided about choosing Kellie as their first pick on the ballot.

Getting Involved in the Political Process

When one thinks of a political campaign it doesn't necessarily conjure up a sense of excitement, enthusiasm and intrigue. Given the growing distrust and disappointment of Canadians with our current Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Liberal Party of Canada, it is certainly understandable why many remain skeptical and frustrated about politics.

I share those frustrations, but rather than give into them, I decided many months ago to turn those frustrations into something positive, by getting involved and actively seeking to help Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) leadership candidate, Kellie Leitch.

My decision to do so was in large part the result of the Trump-effect in Canada, taking to heart what I wrote about in my post-election blog post, Donald Trump's Election: A Call to Christians to Get Back Into The Political Arena. 

In that post I included a dedicated section on Christian Evangelist Franklin Graham who went from coast to coast, during his Decision America Tour, and spoke at each state's capital getting the message out to the American people to do three fundamental things: pray, vote, and engage in the political process.

In addition, I also wrote about Saint Pope John Paul II's post-synodal apostolic exhortation, Christifideles Laici (Christ's Faithful People) on the vocation and mission of the lay faithful in the Church and in the world. It is a document that is known for St. Pope John Paul II's directive, "It is not permissible for anyone to remain idle," which referred to the need of the laity to get actively involved in social, economic, political, and cultural life.

Among the many things that I learned from President Trump during the American election experience is that social media is an effective way to bypass the nonsense of fake news and skewed statistics from mainstream media—or to quote Pamela Geller, the "enemedia"—to obtain and share the truth.

Much in the same way that President Trump broke with precedent and presented a campaign platform with bold policy proposals that addressed the needs and concerns of the American people, so too has Kellie Leitch done likewise with the current CPC leadership race. If there a common ground between both individuals that serves to potentially bring both countries together in a united effort, it is their respective tough stances on immigration and protecting borders.

Kellie Leitch is Canada's compliment to President Trump, so necessary not only for a united, stronger North America, but even more so for Canada as "the" candidate who will undo the neglectful, irresponsible, and reckless policies of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Leitch's Tough Immigration Stance

What initially attracted me to Leitch's campaign was her tough stance on immigration; so urgently needed to address our growing demographic problems.

I was alerted to that tough stance, ironically through mainstream media television, where I saw Kellie holding up Vic Satzewich's book, Points of Entry: How Canada's Immigration Officers Decide Who Gets In. It was soon thereafter that I began to look into who Kellie Leitch was and discovered her platform at her web site, https://kellieworks.ca.

Kellie Leitch during the Conservative Party of Canada leadership debate in Saskatoon on November 9, 2016.
Photo: National Post/John Ivison

It wasn't long before I homed in on Kellie's Screening For Canadian Values policy proposal, which not only promotes our Canadian identity and shared historic values, but seeks to protect it by ensuring that those who seek to come to Canada—be they immigrants, visitors, or refugees—receive a face-to-face interview by a trained immigration officer.

Interviews are the only way that immigration officers can accurately and thoroughly assess credibility and risk, and in the process identify those who are genuine applicants from those who are not.

Sadly, our immigration officers conduct very few interviews which is a symptom of an even bigger problem: the lack of nation building in Canada's immigration system. Kellie has identified this from day one of her campaign launch in mid-October 2016:

...I will continue to argue that Canadians want to protect our nation, our way of life – our Canadian values, our Canadian identity, a Canadian identity that so many people have fought and died for. 

Now the question turns to: Why should we screen? And, what are we screening for? The discussion of immigration and screening seems to focus heavily on questions of security and keeping out undesirables. 

When it doesn’t focus on these items it tends to focus on economic matters. 

But there is another aspect of the immigration system that is being over-looked which, applies what I have been talking about with thousands of Canadians over the last 8 months. 

That is the concept of immigration as an act of nation-building. A process that strengthens our country, the fabric of who we are, and what we will be in the future. 

This is reflected in the objectives of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act which states that the purpose of the act is to enrich the social and cultural fabric of our nation. 

I believe the significant decline of face to face interviews detracts from the concept of nation-building. (4)

Kellie's campaign launch speech is available in both a pdf document and on YouTube.

Kellie has consistently communicated the importance of protecting and promoting our Canadian identity based on shared historic values throughout her campaign. Most noteworthy was her detailed email of February 2, An Important Message From Kellie Leitch. In that email Kellie talked about many aspects of her tough stance on immigration that is worth mentioning.

An Important Message From Kellie Leitch

Vic Satewich's book and the Standing Senate Committee on National Security and Defence report

I recall when seeing Kellie's February 2, email in my inbox folder that the title had intrigued me somewhat: it was for good reason. Kellie presented her plan to screen all immigrants, refugees, and visitors to Canada for Canadian values with face-to-face interviews with a trained immigration officer.

It is an impressive email in which Kellie detailed her plan that included taking the screening process to the next level by checking the social media posts of all applicants. She also hit back at the criticisms of her tough immigration stance. Noteworthy was the substantiation of her immigration concerns and screening proposal by citing from Satzewich's book and the Standing Senate Committee on National Security and Defence's report, Vigilance, Accountability and Security at Canada's Borders.

One of the more salient points that Kellie made was with respect to the important decisions that we as Canadians will have to make regarding our future; part of which includes not taking our free and prosperous society for granted. To ensure that we don't will require the conscious effort of Canadians to build and protect our society, and under no circumstances should we relax and fall under the assumption that as Kellie put it, "...[A] free, prosperous, and tolerant Canada will take care of itself."

The relevance of that most salient point can be best understood when it comes to decisions made about immigration. Many people want to come and live in Canada, but as Kellie so aptly pointed out, "...[I]s our immigration system doing the best it can?" The answer to that question is: no! 

As to the details of why that is, Kellie cited from Satzewich's book and the aforementioned senate report which made abundantly clear that thorough screening is not taking place at Canada's immigration offices, which points to an even bigger problem: the lack of nation building within Canada's immigration system. Here is what Kellie stated:

Immigration officers meet only a handful of the people whose applications they process. The result is the loss of "opportunities to assess credibility and risk" (page 216). 

Testimony before the Senate Standing Committee on National Security and Defence tells us that "only between nine and fifteen percent of immigrants receive an interview with a visa officer before they come to Canada" (page 14). 

That means that, in a year like last year, when more than 300,000 immigrants were admitted to Canada, only about 30,000 people were interviewed by a trained immigration official.

The reason for the lack of interviews is the focus on achieving predetermined quotas. The immigration bureaucracy, led by immigration ministers of different stripes, has put greater importance on the number of people who are admitted to Canada each year, rather than ensuring that those who are admitted will integrate well into our communities.

What has further impressed me about Kellie's tough immigration stance was the "second part of her plan," which would require all immigrants, refugees, and visitors to Canada, to not only understand, but agree with our Canadian values: hard work, generosity, freedom, tolerance, equality of individuals, and equality of opportunity.

Taking the screening process one step further to ensure that application dossiers are complete, Kellie's proposal insists upon each immigration officer's review of each applicant's social media posts, and other relevant information to, as Kellie put it, "...[E]nsure that we have a complete picture of those who are applying to come to Canada."

Kellie's toughness was on further display in this email when she defended her proposal against all criticism. Leitch made it crystal clear that in no way is her policy "racist," but applies equally to everyone regardless of where they were born. She went on to elaborate, "...As a nation we are as interested in keeping out white supremacists as we are in keeping out those who believe women are property."

In defence of those who claim such an approach is costly, Leitch made it clear that the costs of thorough interviews will be borne by the applicants, except those who are refugees which the government will incur. 

As for those who consider these screening procedures evasive, Leitch fired back by stating that the procedures are no more evasive or offensive than those used in other government departments. Moreover Leitch stressed that these are some of the most important decisions we will be making as a nation, that "...[W]e must make sure we make them with as much information as possible."

Some have argued that Leitch's proposal will easily result in application refusals. While this is true, it also means that genuine applicants will be accepted: those who are who they claim to be; those who meet the eligibility criteria for the visa; and those who are not inadmissible to Canada for reasons of public safety, security, or health conditions.

With regard to Leitch's response that immigration will be slowed down, this is only a natural result of a thorough screening process. Those who are fixated on quotas (visa issuance approvals) fail to understand what Kellie made abundantly clear, "...[O]ur immigration system is too important to get hung up numbers and quotas. That is the error of past governments."

Kellie is adamant about protecting our Canadian identity based on our shared historic values. Her Screening For Canadian Values policy proposal has been based on her travels across the country listening to the needs and concerns of Canadians. The result of which has seen two-thirds of Canadians share and support Kellie's vision for the future of Canada. As Kellie noted in the beginning of her email, "Everywhere I go, I hear the same message: Canadians are proud of their country. They are proud of our unified identity and they are proud of shared historic values."

No other candidate will defend Canadian identity and shared historic values as Kellie will. As I noted from the beginning of this blog post, Kellie has been clear and forthcoming about her detailed policy proposal from day one of her campaign launch.

This is in stark contrast to the other candidates, some of whom had a vague or ambiguous immigration policy to begin with, and over the course of the campaign developed what amounted to be nothing more than poorly worded bombast: a desperate attempt to appear to address the concerns of Canadians.

Others have had little or nothing to say about Canada's growing demographic problems, which speaks volumes about their respective candidacies: status-quo candidates who seek to please their betters, of which Maxime Bernier is at the top of that list!

Kellie's Position on Illegal Border Crossings

Kellie Leitch meeting with local officials in Emerson, Manitoba on April 21, 2017. Photo: Facebook/Kellie Leitch

They say that "actions speak louder than words!" Well, Kellie has certainly demonstrated this in a most admirable way with her fairly recent visit to Emerson, Manitoba; a location that has become a hub for border crossers and "asylum shoppers." Kellie spent a few days in Manitoba speaking with residents and local officials, which can be viewed at her Facebook page, beginning with her release of April 21: her arrival in Emerson. Kellie also visited residents in Altona and Morris.

Emerson is just one of a handful of preferred border crossing locations by illegals; there are others in Saskatchewan and Quebec as well. The border crossers are primarily individual men in their prime, who have been living in the United States for quite some time or recently arrived to make the trip to Emerson and other locations.

If you are somewhat new to this or have not seen much footage of it, here is a video report, FAKE NEWS: Border Crisis Not Trump’s Fault, by Faith Goldy of The Rebel. It exposes Canada's border crossing crisis that is sure to increase as the warmer weather approaches.

Make no mistake about it, Kellie is adamantly opposed to these illegal border crossings and firmly believes that a plan is needed to deal with it.

During the CPC Edmonton debate, candidates were asked how they would deal with the illegal border crossings from the United States. Here is how Kellie responded:

These people have entered our country illegally. They should be detained, questioned, and sent back to the United States immediately. Let me be very clear, I have been talking about this serious issue of immigration since the beginning of the campaign. Other candidates on this stage are now twisting themselves into pretzels to talk about it as well. I will implement what I talk about whether that's detaining these individuals now or whether it be interviewing every immigrant, refugee, and visitor to Canada, I will make sure that we protect our Canadian values. Let's be very clear this is important to our nation, this is a serious issue that individuals and democracies around the globe are talking about, but we have a government with their head in the sand and many candidates as well. Thank you.

Kellie's certitude and unapologetic delivery of this message is worth watching on YouTube. It is a display of leadership qualities in action, what one hopes for in a candidate: a real, sincere desire to protect our Canadian borders!

Kellie's visit to Manitoba further highlights how she has successfully distinguished herself from the other candidates, none of whom went to Manitoba; which speaks volumes about their concerns regarding Canada's open borders. 

Sadly, not even our Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has gone to Mantioba or the other border crossing hubs which, in and of itself, is an indictment on Trudeau's "leadership."

Kellie's Strength of Character

Kellie Leitch's campaign has attracted me in large part due to Kellie's strength of character, which has come shining through in the way that she has handled a multitude of challenges and personal attacks.

It takes fortitude, certitude, and courage to embark on a campaign as Kellie has, knowing full well it would be met with sharp criticism and a planned effort by her opponents, the mainstream media, and the elites to shut her down. Those efforts have been primarily channeled through the mainstream media, to which I have dedicated a separate blog post, The Trump-effect in Canada and the Enemedia's Attempt to Stop Kellie Leitch.

Kellie has done an exceptional job of ignoring the hate and focussed on delivering the message that most Canadians have been desperate to hear. One need not look further than to the onslaught of fake news and skewed poll statistics that have been part of an ongoing effort to derail her campaign and stop it altogether. Such efforts have been a complete and total failure; they have in no way negatively impacted Kellie or her campaign. 

The failure of poll after poll after poll to create a narrative that suited Kellie's opponents and enemies, has been in large part due to the fact that Kellie's support has never been a function of polls, but based on her common-sense policy proposals that 74% of Canadians share and support. This is fundamental to understanding Kellie's campaign to which I dedicated another separate blog post, Kellie Leitch's Support is Not a Function of Polls But Based on Common-Sense Policy Proposals. 

To run for the leadership of the CPC also requires intelligence, toughness, stamina, and a tireless work ethic which Kellie has displayed in a variety of ways: her continued travels across the country; her well prepared and impressive debate performances; the consistent and effective use of social media, especially her Facebook releases and YouTube videos, and numerous email updates.

This has served Kellie well in her efforts to not only refute so much of the nonsense from her opponents and enemies, but to better inform supporters of her policies, latest efforts, and campaign developments; all of which has contributed to the execution of a well thought-out and planned campaign.

It is Kellie's strength of character that has played a big role in the successful effort to distinguish herself and her campaign from the other candidates.

My Encouragement to all Those Who Remain Undecided

With so many candidates in this leadership race, it can be quite the challenge to determine who your first choice will be. This especially holds true if you haven't had the time to navigate each candidate's web site, follow their social media posts, and compare their respective platforms.

I hope that today's post has helped undecided members to consider Kellie Leitch as their first choice, and perhaps their only choice!

Consider the fact that we are at the crossroads of either losing our country to leftists and foreign interests—who have developed a partnership with the Liberal Party of Canada—or taking our country back through the leadership of Kellie Leitch.

Make no mistake about it, Kellie Leitch is a patriot whose many common-sense policy proposals are the answer to Canada's future. Kellie is adamant about protecting and promoting Canadian identity and she is the only candidate with a policy proposal that is clear about how she will go about doing this.

To my fellow undecided members of the Conservative Party of Canada, I ask you to join me in making Kellie Leitch the new leader of the Conservative Party and the next Prime Minister of Canada.


God Bless Canada