Reinforcements

I suppose you need all the help you can get when you run an election campaign. Volunteers, money, office space and telephones are essential to a candidate’s success. You might seek advice from the people you trust, such as campaign workers, party members and veterans from previous elections.

In the province of Ontario, where the Conservative Party always finishes second in a Federal election, party members have gone a step further and looked to the United States for help. In this case, from the National Rifle Association.

That’s right: the NRA, one of the most powerful lobby groups in Washington.

Who’s behind all this? Larry Whitmore, director of sport development for the Canadian Shooting Sports Association. Whitmore wants to help the Conservatives win some “swing ridings” in Ontario. He’s asked a member of the NRA to give a seminar during the election in order to “teach us to be more politically active and effective at the grassroots level”.

While the NRA is mum about the contents of their upcoming lecture for members of the CSSA, the general comment from them is the need to share information for gun owners around the world, “with its message that freedom and liberty ought not to be infringed”. Indeed, is that the kind of message Canadians want to hear? Well, based on the campaign so far, no.

I’m no expert, but the last time I checked, freedom and liberty had nothing to do with guns.

That’s just my opinion. I could be wrong.