Conservative riding association renews call for vote on O’Toole’s leadership

Alberta EDA becomes the first to formally request the party’s national council speed up a vote on Erin O’Toole’s leadership before the Conservatives' 2023 policy convention.

A Conservative Party riding association in southern Alberta has become the first in the country to formally petition the party’s national council for a leadership review.

The decision by the Foothills electoral district association (EDA) represents another Western-based challenge to Erin O’Toole’s leadership, after Saskatchewan Sen. Denise Batters’ failed petition to accelerate a leadership review.

The EDA passed a motion on Jan. 22 calling for a leadership review vote no later than June 15 to “ensure a united and strong Conservative Party of Canada in preparation for an imminent election.” A copy of the motion was obtained by Global News.

It’s not clear if the actions of the Foothills EDA board will herald similar moves by other riding associations. Several Alberta-based Conservative MPs responded to queries Tuesday morning to say they are not aware of similar motions suggesting the move by the Foothills board may be a relatively isolate one at this point. But two sources active in Conservative campaigning and organizing say at least two other EDAs in Western Canada may be contemplating a similar move.

Riding associations, particularly those in Western Canada, play a significant role in the Conservative party. They are, for example, the bedrock upon which the party’s fundraising prowess is based and generally hold significant cash reserves themselves. That said, the riding association in Foothills was one of the laggards in 2020, the most recent year for which financial information for EDAs is available. Foothills raised $18,585 from 81 donors that year, 28th of 34 in the province and 110th of 338 in the country.

The Foothills board passed the motion just as Conservative MPs prepare for a pre-Parliament strategy session this week. The meetings will include the results of an election post-mortem, conducted by former Calgary MP James Cumming, which looked at where O’Toole’s 2021 campaign fell short.

The MP for Foothills, John Barlow, endorsed Peter MacKay in the party’s 2020 leadership race, which O’Toole won on the final ballot. Barlow was not immediately available for comment. Karen Spencer, the riding association president, could also not be immediately reached.

Rob Batherson, the head of the party’s national council, told Global News that while there’s no obligation for the party’s governing body to act on the resolution, he was “sure we will respond” to the call from Foothills.