Â鶹ӰÊÓ

Skip to main content

Erin O'Toole's Conservative leadership vote: key players

Share
OTTAWA -

Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole is to learn Wednesday from the Tory caucus whether he will remain as party leader. Here are some key players who have been involved in calls for his leadership to be reviewed.

Garnett Genuis-- The Alberta MP is one of the signatories to a letter endorsed by around one-third of O'Toole's 118-member caucus who want him removed as leader. Genuis, who O'Toole picked to serve as his critic for international development and human rights, initially urged Conservatives to rally behind the leader after last year's election loss. Now, he says, that's changed.

Sen. Denise Batters-- The longtime Conservative launched a petition last November for party members to sign if they wanted to see O'Toole's leadership reviewed earlier than the scheduled date of 2023. Batters said O'Toole flip-flopped on party policies around gun control and the carbon tax, which made him untrustworthy to Canadians. O'Toole then removed her from his national caucus, but both the Tory Senate caucus and Saskatchewan regional caucus decided she could stay, highlighting the rifts he faces.

Shannon Stubbs -- Last fall, the Alberta MP called for O'Toole's leadership to be reviewed by members within six months because of changes he was making to the party. She said her share of the vote dropped in last year's election and wanted to see O'Toole outline how he would keep traditional Conservative voters in the fold who feel alienated by promises he made around spending.

Mark Strahl -- The British Columbia MP and former Tory whip has publicly criticized O'Toole for not being consistent in his messages around vaccine mandates, which is something other critics of his have echoed. O'Toole has been under pressure from Strahl along with other MPs to adopt a tougher stand against a controversial secularism law in Quebec.

Pierre Poilievre -- The high-profile finance critic and Ottawa-area MP is regarded as a possible next in line for party leader if O'Toole loses the leadership vote. After last year's election Poilivere said the party already had a leader and he had no interest in running. However, he is deeply popular among the Conservative grassroots. In 2020, Poilivere planned to enter the party's leadership race that O'Toole eventually won, but he pulled out before an official launch saying the race would take away time spent with his young family.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 1, 2022.

IN DEPTH

Opinion

opinion

opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster

A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?

opinion

opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike

When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

The British Columbia election campaign is set to officially start today, with Lt.-Gov. Janet Austin issuing the writ for the Oct. 19 vote.

A northern Ontario man is facing a $12,000 fine after illegally shooting a moose near the Batchawan River.

Unusual flippered feet are making their way into the Saint Lawrence River this weekend. Led by underwater explorer and filmmaker Nathalie Lasselin, volunteer divers are combing the riverbed near Beauharnois in Montérégie to remove hundreds of tires that have been polluting the aquatic environment for decades.

A sea lion swam free after a rescue team disentangled it near Vancouver Island earlier this week.

Local Spotlight

Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.

Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

Stay Connected