Tories ask national councilor behind anti-O’Toole petition to turn over emails, phone records
Global News
Bert Chen is facing an investigation by the party’s national council after he spearheaded a push to review Erin O’Toole’s leadership.
The Conservative party is pushing a member of its national council to turn over emails and phone records related to his petition to force Erin O’Toole into an early leadership review.
In what his lawyer calls an “unprecedented campaign” to “thwart dissenting views,” Bert Chen has been asked to turn over all emails, phone records, text messages and social media posts connected to his push to oust O’Toole.
That means that any Conservative party member who spoke with Chen or supported the petition, launched less than 24 hours after September’s disappointing election results, could have their messages swept up in the party’s investigation.
“It is our view that this investigation is an unprecedented campaign by the Conservative Party of Canada to thwart dissenting views and oust those party members who disagree with the leadership of the party,” wrote Scott Hamilton, who is representing Chen, in a statement to Global News.
Chen, an elected member of the Conservative party’s national council, was suspended for 60 days last month after spearheading a petition to hold an early leadership review. Chen accused O’Toole of betraying conservative values in a failed attempt to win power in September’s general election.
As it stands, Conservative party faithful will not have a chance to pass judgment on O’Toole’s leadership until 2023. Chen’s petition would have forced the issue much earlier.
According to the party, the 60-day suspension was the result of unspecified complaints from “grassroots … members” suggesting Chen had violated the council’s code of conduct, as well as the party constitution.
Global News has obtained a copy of a letter sent by Arthur Hamilton, the party’s longtime lawyer, detailing a sweeping investigation into Chen’s suspension. Chen did not comment when contacted by Global News, and instead deferred to his lawyer.
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