The discontent of the federal conservatives once morest their leader Erin O’Toole took a new form, Monday, with the tabling of a letter signed by 35 deputies demanding a vote of confidence in his leadership.
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Pressed to turn the page on the controversy surrounding the leadership of the Conservative leader, the signatories demand that a vote on the leadership of Mr. O’Toole be held as early as Wednesday, said two sources familiar with the matter. Montreal Journal Monday evening.
According to Globe and Mail, the outcome of such a vote within the Conservative caucus is far from guaranteed for Erin O’Toole, because 63 of the 119 elected members of the party would be ready to show the door to their leader. This is a slim majority of 53% dissenters within the caucus.
The discontent once morest the conservative leader has already reigned for months within the CCP, in the wake of the electoral disappointment of last September. Remember that the Conservatives then hoped to make gains once morest Justin Trudeau’s Liberals, but the various parties had to settle for a draw and returned to the Commons with practically the same number of MPs as before the dissolution of Parliament.
A first revolt once morest the leadership of the Conservative leader came from Senator Denise Batters, who had launched a petition demanding his departure last November. Mr. O’Toole reacted by expelling the dissident senator from the Conservative caucus.
This new attack on the Conservative leader comes following the filing of an analysis of the ups and downs of last summer’s election campaign, presented last week to elected Conservatives. Erin O’Toole had then acknowledged his responsibility for certain errors committed, in particular the fact that he had remained too attached to his official speeches and that he had not left his Ottawa studio enough to meet the voters.
In recent weeks, riding associations have also openly called for an early vote of confidence in Mr. O’Toole’s leadership by June.
For the moment, no vote on the leader is officially scheduled before the holding of the next national convention of the conservatives, scheduled for Quebec in 2023.