Joey’s Notepad: John-Paul Danko and Maureen Wilson, Red Tories – TPR Hamilton | Hamilton's Civic Affairs News Site

June 1, 2022
Ward 8 Hamilton City Councillor John-Paul Danko self-identified as a Red Tory during today’s Council debate on the City’s Climate Change strategy.
The City of Hamilton’s strategy utilizes carbon budgeting, municipal green bonds, and maintains a climate change fiscal reserve.
“I really appreciate seeing a robust financial approach to this that is much more in line with a market approach,” Danko stated.
“There’s not many true fiscal conservatives Red Tories left but this is truly a Progressive Conservative approach to climate change, and I really appreciate that.”
Ward 1 Councillor Maureen Wilson responded, “Yeah, Red Tories are like spotted owls, but we exist in the trees, you just have to look for us.”
Danko’s approach as a City Councillor is firmly in the centre-right area of the political spectrum. Liberals who lean more to the right of their party are known as Blue Liberals.
Traditionally, conservative parties in Canada embraced the centre-right area of the political spectrum. During the 1990s, Canada’s conservative movements shifted towards the right.
Today, many Red Tories would be card-carrying members of a conservative party are actually Blue Liberals and card-carrying members of the Liberal Party.
Danko is presently a card-carrying member of the Liberal Party of Canada. He is not a member of the provincial Ontario Liberal Party.
Cancelling his Liberal membership is “currently … on my to-do list” because it is “better for municipal councillors to not officially be affiliated with political parties.”
Danko says he joined the Liberal Party while considering seeking a nomination during last year’s federal election, adding he presently has no plans to seek either federal or provincial office.
Update: Danko is no longer a card-carrying Liberal.
During this term of Council, Wilson has positioned herself as a “progressive” while rarely attaching “conservative” to her progressivism.
Today’s short exchange is noteworthy leading into the new term of Council when we can expect a majority of the new councillors to come from centre to centre-right political philosophies.