Airdrie and Rocky View County's MPs have issued statements in response to the Feb. 2 caucus vote to oust Erin O’Toole as leader of the Conservative Party of Canada.
During a virtual meeting, Conservative MPs cast secret ballots after about one-third of them signed a notice that triggered an accelerated leadership review.
In a statement, Banff-Airdrie MP Blake Richards, who was O'Toole's Chief Opposition Whip, said he wanted to thank O'Toole and his family for their commitment to public service.
“He conducted himself with dignity and class, and I was proud to have the opportunity to serve the Conservative team as his Chief Opposition Whip,” Richards' statement read. “I wish him well, and look forward to continuing to work with him in his role as MP for Durham.
Rules governing the removal of a party leader are set out in the 2015 legislation commonly known as the Reform Act and a secret ballot vote was conducted by the Conservative caucus, stated a press release from the office of Martin Shields, MP for Bow River. The riding includes the westernmost communities of Rocky View County.
“Justin Trudeau has divided Canada to a degree not yet seen in this country. Conservatives will continue to hold the Liberal government to account, address the deep-rooted division, and unite this country,” Shields' release stated.
Representatives of Shields’ office said he was not available for further comment.
Following the ousting of O'Toole, Portage-Lisgar MP Candice Bergen was elected as the Conservative Party's interim leader. The Manitoba MP will serve as the party's leader until the third Conservative leadership race since former party leader and prime minister Stephen Harper lost power to the Liberals in 2015.
“Candice is someone I have worked with for many years,” Richards said in his statement. “From the Harper government, to the leadership team in opposition. I know she will continue to fight for Canadians and hold the Liberals to account everyday. While I believe grassroots members should be the ones to vote in a leadership review, the decision has been made and I fully support our interim leader. Party membership will have the opportunity to elect our next leader, and I look forward to an exciting leadership campaign.”
O'Toole served as an Ontario MP for four terms before running in one federal election campaign as the Conservative Party's leader.
The former Royal Canadian Air Force captain and corporate lawyer entered politics in 2012, when he won the by-election for the Durham riding, east of Toronto.
As an Ontario MP, he was appointed as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade and then became the Minister of Veterans Affairs in 2015.
After Andrew Scheer stepped down as leader of Canada’s Conservatives in December 2019, following his election defeat earlier that year, O’Toole was elected as party leader in 2020. O'Toole finished with two fewer seats than Scheer did in 2019 when running for the prime minister’s seat in the 2021 election.
Critics of O'Toole said he ran in the 2020 leadership race as the “true blue” candidate, but that once in the party’s leadership role, told party members changes were needed if the Conservatives hoped to make gains in vote-rich regions like the Greater Toronto Area.
To modernize the party and differentiate himself from Scheer, O'Toole promoted his support of access to abortion and LGBTQ2S+ rights. He also embraced carbon pricing, despite vowing to get rid of it while campaigning.
In a statement calling for a caucus review of O’Toole’s leadership, MP for Calgary Heritage Bob Benzen said O’Toole had flip-flopped on numerous issues and displayed questionable judgment. In a Twitter post, Benzen cited examples such as adopting a carbon tax policy despite opposition from party members and his own campaign promise, pressuring members to support the entire platform on penalty of expulsion from the party, flip-flopping on the decision to repeal firearms, failure to protect the rights of the English-speaking minority of Quebec, and failure to stand up for the Charter of right of Canadians during the pandemic.
Critic Sen. Denise Batters from Saskatchewan said his changes of opinion on certain issues damaged his image with Canadians and made him appear untrustworthy.
