Erin O’Toole, former head of the federal Conservatives, joins Huron University to train future leaders
CBC
Former federal Conservative leader Erin O’Toole is joining Huron University in London, Ont., as a part-time adjunct professor in programs aimed at building the next generation of Canadian leaders, the university announced Wednesday.
O’Toole will work in the department of governance, leadership and ethics, and will be involved in the university’s Nation Builder Program. The program offers specialized course work, career development support, guest speakers and paid internship opportunities for “high-potential student leaders who are passionate about shaping Canada’s future.”
“As Prime Minister Carney said in the speech at Davos, we’re going through an upending of the world order, a rupture, and we need to make sure the next generation of leaders is ready for that,” O’Toole said in an interview with CBC News.
O’Toole headed the Conservatives and was Official Opposition leader from August 2020 to February 2022, when he stepped down after a majority of his caucus voted against him continuing as leader. He was eventually replaced by current Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre.
O'Tool was first elected as an MP in 2012. He served briefly as minister of veterans affairs under Stephen Harper as prime minister in 2015.
After leaving politics in August 2023, O’Toole became president and managing director of ADIT North America, a risk management firm he's still leading. He continues to be vocal in Canadian politics.
Huron, one of Canada's oldest universities, was incorporated in 1863 as the founding college of Western University. Originally called Huron College, its name changed in 2000 after receiving royal assent.
O’Toole said joining Huron University aligns with his goals of using his experience to help students.
“I want to make sure [students are] exposed to what we have to be thinking of both on a security and intelligence side with the Americans becoming less reliable" and on a trade side, he said.
O’Toole said younger generations no longer live in a world where hard work can guarantee social mobility and financial security.
“We need to make sure that the next generation of leaders tackle some of this generational unfairness and defend our institutions at a time when there's eroding trust in them.
“We need our next generation of leaders to be able to … defend our democracy as we see it slowly coming under attack.”
O’Toole said he'll start at Huron in March, with a lecture on food security and geopolitics, and how Canada can take advantage of new opportunities and help other countries as a powerhouse of food and fertilizer production.
“I'll also be working with the team at Huron to almost create what I'm calling an enhanced citizenship package. A lot of students at Huron go on to Ivey [Business School] ... but we want our business leaders to know more about geopolitics, about reconciliation, about social cohesion issues."
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