In a statement released late Sunday night, Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole said that Canadians “do not want” to see “the politicization of the pandemic.”

“Vaccines are not a political issue,” he said.

There’s always something a bit awkward about a politician accusing another politician of politicizing something. Doctors seldom accuse each other of being too medical. And O’Toole has not otherwise shied away from using the most dramatic terms to criticize aspects of the Liberal government’s response to the pandemic.

What politicians might really be suggesting when they worry openly about “politicization” is that some issues should not be exploited for partisan gain, or