"WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?" — That was reporter JUSTIN LING's blunt question to ERIN O'TOOLE as the Conservative leader held a press conference at the end of what was likely one of the longest days of his political career. O'Toole had confirmed a few minutes earlier that he'd meet with some of the truckers who will arrive in Ottawa with the so-called Freedom Convoy. "I'll make sure it's done properly," he insisted, offering a few bread crumbs' worth of detail. Any meeting will happen off the Hill, O'Toole said. He won't meet with the organizers. He condemned any violence or extremism that might transpire. — Unsafe zone: Ling's exasperation was fueled in part by a stunning letter to MPs from PATRICK MCDONELL, the House of Commons sergeant-at-arms who's ultimately responsible for their safety. McDonell cautioned that people attached to the convoy had attempted to gather the home addresses of local MPs. McDonell's advice in case of a confrontation over the weekend: "Do not get involved and go somewhere safe." Press gallery members received a note that Hill security are anticipating the demonstration will not exceed 10,000 participants. But authorities will restrict public access to the parliamentary precinct. Tamis Café, a resto in the downtown core, alerted Instagram followers to its temporary closure, citing road closures and "prank calls/threats to our security." CUMMING TO JESUS MOMENT — It was a leaky Conservative party that spilled the details of JAMES CUMMING's confidential election post-mortem briefing at a Tory caucus retreat Thursday. Unnamed sources were all over Hill reporting on the innards of the Cumming Report, which contained dozens of recommendations on what went wrong and why last year. It wasn't clear that any journalist had actually seen the documents distributed to MPs, though the elected people weren't shy about paraphrasing. → The Globe and Mail topped its coverage with the party's need to "recruit a wider diversity of candidates and improve its ethnic outreach." Cumming also heard that his party still hasn't managed to shake a disastrous 2015 campaign pledge to establish a "barbaric cultural practices" tip line. → Global News scrounged out a finding that O'Toole's first weeks on the campaign were positive — but he was “over-coached and over-managed” and, in the end, “couldn’t be himself” on the hustings. The party spent big on a studio in Ottawa's Westin Hotel. Cumming's conclusion: O'Toole should've been out on the road more. → The Toronto Star focused on a recommendation to eliminate membership fees to join the party. The Liberals are years ahead of the Tories on that front, having moved to free membership in 2016 after allowing non-members to vote in the leadership race that elected JUSTIN TRUDEAU. — O'Toole admits failure: "There's a lot I had to learn," O'Toole told reporters. He acknowledged that he was in his studio too many days a week, that he was "too scripted" in the campaign's home stretch, and that his party didn't effectively showcase policies geared to western Canada. — What happens next: Playbook asked connected Tories for the takeaways they think matter most from the leakiest meeting in town. Here are three: → If the Conservatives are going to win key suburban ridings by connecting with people of color, they can't just drop in at events around election time. The party needs to spend considerably more time simply connecting with people. And the party's senior ranks are dominated by white people. That has to change. → Tories have fallen behind Liberals on voter identification technology. On the campaign trail, your Playbook host witnessed small teams of deployed Liberal volunteers canvass neighborhoods with surgical precision. Cumming says the once-famed Conservative voter management system, CIMS, needs to be replaced. → A senior Conservative source reminded Playbook that Tories were several points behind when the campaign was launched, and they did manage to win the popular vote. The source looked forward to analysis of the leader's tour, platform priorities, advertising and digital campaigning. THE LOUDEST TORY — O'Toole got the last word Thursday, but his ubiquitous finance critic got the first. On the way into the party's reportedly raucous caucus meeting, PIERRE POILIEVRE stopped for a word with reporters . He was asked about extremist elements that have embedded themselves in the truck convoy. Poilievre said individual protesters who break the law should be accountable … — The money quote: "... but that doesn't mean we disparage the thousands of hard-working, law-abiding and peaceful truckers who, quite frankly, kept you alive the last two years by filling your grocery shelves with the food that you eat, and filling your homes with the products that you rely upon." CPC caucus members who applauded: CANDICE BERGEN, LESLYN LEWIS, LAILA GOODRIDGE, LEO HOUSAKOS. O'Toole penned a Toronto Sun op-ed on Wednesday with almost the identical message — though far less visceral emotion and media skepticism. The leader also earned kudos from BERGEN and HOUSAKOS, as well as BEN LOBB, ALEX RUFF, TIM UPPAL, MICHELLE FERRERI, ANNA ROBERTS, and SCOTT AITCHISON. Not that they're in competition at all. No way. — The ad-man's view: Poilievre's targeted tirade caught the attention of DENNIS MATTHEWS, a former director of advertising to STEPHEN HARPER. "It’s a message that’s going to resonate with a lot of conservatives who feel under attack for swimming against whatever the elite Covid consensus of the day is," Matthews tweeted. "Never mind the specific points on the protest." — Popularity rising: Conservative rabble-rouser and strategic comms guy STEPHEN TAYLOR charted the sharp increase in Poilievre's Twitter following — and noted a recent video that racked up more than 2 million views.
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