Erin O'Toole, the leader of the opposition in Canada, has been fired
Key Takeaways:
- After many MPs voted to remove Erin O'Toole, the leader of Canada's main opposition Conservative Party, she was abruptly removed from office on Wednesday.
- Former Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall and MPs Pierre Poilievre, Leslyn Lewis, and Mackay have all been mentioned as possible leadership candidates.
Erin O'Toole, the leader of Canada's main opposition Conservative Party, was abruptly removed from office on Wednesday after many MPs voted to do so.
During a review of O'Toole's leadership, 73 of the 119 MPs voted against him. In the House of Commons, O'Toole was the leader of the opposition. MPs voted to elect Candice Bergen as the party's interim leader in the evening.
The departure of O'Toole, who was beaten by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as well as his Liberal Party in September snap national elections, has highlighted the Conservative Party's instability at the top since former leader and Prime Minister Stephen Harper resigned in 2015 after losing to Trudeau in polls. Before that election, however, Harper had been Prime Minister for eight years.
Conservatives will now have to hold another leadership election 18 months after O'Toole upset the favorite, former cabinet minister Peter Mackay, in the previous contest.
As he tried to move the party to the center with medium stances on issues like climate change, O'Toole faced a revolt within the party, but his gamble failed electorally. He led the Conservatives to 119 seats in the elections, two fewer than his predecessor Andrew Scheer.
Although the party's performance had improved, with 22 more MPs than in 2015, Scheer resigned in 2020.
O'Toole had earlier appeared defiant, tweeting, "I'm not going anywhere." On Wednesday, however, he conceded defeat and walked away.
The date for the leadership election will be set in the coming days. Still, there is speculation that Trudeau, who is leading his second consecutive minority government, will try for a majority again in 2023.
However, there have been recent reports of growing discontent among Liberals about Trudeau's leadership and whether he will lead the party into another election now that his unpopularity has skyrocketed.
MPs Pierre Poilievre, Leslyn Lewis, Mackay, and former Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall have all been mentioned as possible leadership candidates.