O'Toole's supporters rally around the leader ahead of a caucus vote on his future
CBC
A number of Conservative MPs rallied behind Erin O'Toole Tuesday, saying he should stay on as leader even as some of his caucus colleagues mobilize to oust him.
Speaking briefly to reporters on Parliament Hill, the party's deputy leader Candice Bergen said she's not interested in taking over as interim leader if O'Toole gets the boot after a planned vote tomorrow at the Conservative caucus meeting.
"I want Erin O'Toole to remain as leader," she said.
MPs opposed to O'Toole's leadership have collected enough signatures — 35 so far — to hold a secret ballot on his future Wednesday, sources have told CBC News.
A vote by 50 per cent plus one of the 119 sitting Conservative MPs calling on O'Toole to step down would force him to make way for an interim leader immediately. Sources tell CBC News that O'Toole's caucus opponents believe they have the necessary votes, with at least 60 MPs agreeing that he has to go.
WATCH | Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner tells CBC's Power & Politics she will vote to keep O'Toole as leader
In a media statement, Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner said her constituents sent her to Ottawa to address the "soaring cost of living, a broken health care system, lost jobs and more." She said she didn't enter politics to participate in "party infighting that weakens our ability to hold the Liberals to account."
"Canada faces multiple crises and needs our party to work, not spending months on a leadership race triggered by caucus. I am focused on working hard for my community and that is why I will be voting against an immediate months-long leadership race and for Mr. O'Toole tomorrow," she said.
Rempel Garner said party members should be the ones to "drive the bus on a leadership review at our next convention, per standing practice of our party."
Even if O'Toole can fend off a caucus revolt in the short term, he'll face another formal challenge to his position in 2023. Under the party's constitution, there is an automatic leadership review at the first national Conservative convention after a failed election result.
The Conservatives organizing against O'Toole are frustrated by what they call his "flip flops" on carbon pricing, quickly balancing the federal budget and protecting conscience rights for medical professionals, among other issues. Anti-O'Toole MPs also claim the Ontario Tory ran as a "true blue" Conservative in the party's leadership race only to shift the party to the centre when in the top job.
At least one Conservative MP has changed his mind about O'Toole.
After the September election, when there were calls from some quarters for O'Toole to resign, MP Garnett Genuis said Conservatives should "stay united, defend our principles and remain focused on giving Canadians better government."
"We must learn the lessons of the election, share constructive feedback, and remain united behind Erin O'Toole," he said in a Sept. 23 social media post.