Erin O’Toole out as Conservative leader; Bergen elected to interim role
Posted February 2, 2022 6:30 am.
Last Updated February 3, 2022 6:12 am.
Erin O’Toole has been removed as Conservative leader after he was voted out by his own caucus on Wednesday.
MPs debated the fate of O’Toole for several hours before voting 73 to 45 in favour of his removal. He called it the “honour of a lifetime” to serve in the role of leader.
“I’ve had my moment. My time at the microphone, but I love both the country and my party too much to not comment,” O’Toole said in a video statement.
“This country needs a Conservative party that is both an intellectual force and a governing force. Ideology without power is vanity. Seeking power without ideology is hubris.”
O’Toole says Canadians deserve a government that delivers balance, ideas and inspiration.
“Conservatism is about a vision of the country that makes us exceptional, it feeds the soul, it causes us to aspire to be better for our country, for our communities, for our families and neighbours, and for our role as a leader on the world stage.”
O’Toole pledged his loyalty to the next Conservative leader, urging all in the party to do the same.
“My message to my party is the same I will give to the Prime Minister and members of parliament on all sides of the house of commons – hear the other side,” said O’Toole. “Realize that our country is divided and people are worried. Work together, because how we as leaders act now will define the next generation.”
My message to Canadians
Mon message aux Canadiens pic.twitter.com/iRhq76bteB
— Erin O'Toole (@erinotoole) February 2, 2022
It marks the first time a party leader has been removed under the Reform Act.
Manitoba MP Candice Bergen was elected the interim leader in a secret ballot Wednesday night. She will serve as interim leader until the party membership chooses a new permanent leader.
Bergen, who was deputy leader of the Conservatives under O’Toole, was one of nine candidates up for consideration for interim leader.
Following the secret ballot vote earlier in the day, Conservative MP Pierre Paul-Hus argued that despite the perception of inner turmoil, the party is “more united than ever” and is ready to move forward.
“The caucus members are willing to work together and we want to move forward to be ready for the next election and to win.”
Conservative MP @PierrePaulHus says the Conservative caucus is more united than ever after voting out @erinotoole as leader #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/xSktXVZETP
— Cormac Mac Sweeney (@cmaconthehill) February 2, 2022
Fellow MP Eric Duncan, an O’Toole supporter, said he believes the party can come together under a new leader.
“We have to be united, we can do that with a new leader … We can be united. We need to get on the same page, we need to move in the same direction and I’m very confident there’s a strong willingness to do that.”
Conservative MP @EricDuncanSDSG, an O’Toole supporter, on the caucus voting out the leader #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/EpvB7MJ05k
— Cormac Mac Sweeney (@cmaconthehill) February 2, 2022
O’Toole’s ousting was set in motion when a third of the caucus signed a letter on Monday to launch the vote under the Reform Act rules, which gives a party’s caucus the ability to trigger a leadership review.
Those in the party upset with O’Toole cited his election loss in the fall and his wavering on key issues as major concerns.
Alberta’s Garnett Genuis was one of the MPs who said it was time for a change.
“We’re not seeing what we need to from the leadership right now,” Genuis says.
In a statement on social media, Alberta MP Bob Benzen, who supported O’Toole in the 2017 and 2020 leadership contests, said O’Toole has flip-flopped on policies, and a review of his leadership was needed.
Bob Benzen, the Calgary MP who first called for the leadership review of @erinotoole last night, has released another open letter to his caucus colleagues #cdnpoli https://t.co/PBh7WaqCqu
— Cormac Mac Sweeney (@cmaconthehill) February 1, 2022
O’Toole has called this a time of reckoning and said he welcomed the vote, however, multiple reports suggested he was calling MPs and making last-minute promises in a bid to keep his job.
“I’m not going anywhere and I’m not turning back. Canada needs us to be united and serious! It’s time for a reckoning, to settle this in caucus — right here, right now, once and for all,” he wrote in a statement on Facebook a day before the vote took place.
CityNews Political Affairs Specialist John Stall says the party shouldn’t feel panicked about choosing a new leader with a federal election at least two years away, but notes there doesn’t seem to be anyone that stands out who could potentially unite the divided party.
“(They) do have enough time to hold a leadership contest and to prepare that leader (for) next federal vote,” Stall says.
“But there are no obvious star candidates at the moment.”
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Wednesday that he would not jump into a leadership race should one be triggered.
“No, I have my hands full. I love being premier of this province. We’re going to build this province and I’m going to continue leading this province, that’s my job,” he said.
With files from CityNews reporter Cormac Mac Sweeney and the Canadian Press
