UPDATE: O’ Toole voted out as Conservative leader
UPDATE: 10:00 a.m. Feb. 2
Erin O’ Toole is out as Conservative leader after a vote by party caucus members.
Reports say 73 of 119 Tory MPs, or 61 per cent, voted to remove O’ Toole who had been leader since August 2020.
The caucus will now choose an interim leader of the party, who will also be the leader of the official opposition.
Mel Arnold, the Tory MP for North Okanagan-Shuswap told Vernon Matters on Tuesday, he stood with his fellow Conservatives who wanted the question of the party’s leadership settled, saying whatever the outcome, it would allow members to move forward with a clear focus.
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Local MP supports settling O’Toole, leadership issue
Feb 1, 2022 | 3:30 PM
Plans are in the works for a secret vote on Erin O’Toole’s leadership at Wednesday’s federal Conservative caucus meeting.
O’Toole is facing a revolt by as many as one-third of caucus members who want him gone in the wake of last year’s election campaign.
Alberta MP Bob Benzen has been an O’Toole supporter but now says the leader has flip-flopped multiple times on party policy and Benzen believes it’s time for caucus to review O’Toole’s fate.
Benzen thinks the caucus has given O’Toole more than enough chances to resolve the concerns of many grassroots party members.
O’Toole indicated on Twitter he plans to fight for his position.
There are two roads open to the Conservative Party of Canada. One is the road of Randy Hillier and Derek Sloan. It is angry, negative, and extreme. It is a dead-end; one that would see the party of Confederation become the NDP of the right. 1/5
— Erin O’Toole (@erinotoole) February 1, 2022
(Erin O’Toole/Twitter)
Meantime, a new group is touting O’Toole’s strategy as what’s best for the Conservative Party of Canada.
Tory activist Fraser Macdonald, who supported O’Toole in the last leadership race, said he had the idea for the effort before news broke that one-third of O’Toole’s caucus wanted him gone.
The website for the group, called Majority Committee, launched today hours after O’Toole took to social media just before midnight saying he intends to fight for his job.
In his post, O’Toole paints the MPs who signed the letter requesting the leadership vote as believing the party should hold more extreme views resembling those of Ontario MPP Randy Hillier and ex-MP Derek Sloan.
Vernon Matters reached out to North Okanagan-Shuswap Conservative MP Mel Arnold to get his opinion on the debate over O’Toole’s leadership.
Arnold issued a statement that said he “stands with his fellow Conservatives” who want the question of the party’s leadership settled, adding the vote by caucus on Erin O’Toole will allow members to move forward with a clear focus.
About one-third of O’Toole’s caucus requested a leadership review.
Mel Arnold Statement
Ottawa, ON- Mel Arnold, Member of Parliament for North Okanagan-Shuswap released the following statement today regarding the vote that the Conservative Parliamentary Caucus is
scheduled to take tomorrow under the auspices of the Parliament of Canada Act:“Since being first elected in 2015, my focus has been on working for the people of the North Okanagan-Shuswap who depend on me to be their voice and advocate in the House of Commons. Discussions and critiques of our party leader, Erin O’Toole, have recently become very public causing distraction from the important work that my Conservative colleagues and I need to be focused on.
Our leader was elected by grassroots Conservative party members under the provisions of our party’s constitution as it was drafted and adopted by grassroots party members.
Our party’s constitution allows for a leadership selection process to be initiated in specific scenarios- in the event of a leader’s retirement, passing or resignation, or when 50% or more votes are cast in favour of engaging the leadership selection process at a national convention.Although our Parliamentary Caucus adopted and holds authority under the Parliament of Canada Act to initiate a leadership review, all members of the party deserve an equal opportunity to participate in a potential review. Moreover, I believe that most party members would welcome a leadership review undertaken in a democratic and expedient way.
A timely review could help restore unity and allow us to focus on the issues facing Canadians such as mounting inflation, housing and healthcare shortages, and national security.
Regardless of what the outcome of tomorrow’s caucus vote is, I will stand with my fellow Conservatives who want this question of leadership settled so that we can all move forward with a clear focus on our work and advocacy for Canadians,” Arnold stated.