The Hamilton Spectator

Former Tory leader O’Toole plans to resign seat

STEPHANIE TAYLOR

Former Conservative leader Erin O’Toole says that after more than a decade in politics, he will not seek re-election and plans to resign his seat this spring.

The Ontario MP led the Conservatives and served as official Opposition leader from August 2020 until February 2022, when a majority of his caucus voted to remove him from the post.

“I am a proud Conservative and had the unique privilege to lead our party amid a challenging time for our country,” he said in a statement shared on social media Friday morning.

“The Conservative party is the party of Confederation and I know it will return to government offering the hope and ideas our country so desperately needs.”

He added: “I will help in any way I can.”

His ousting followed months of tensions over O’Toole’s management of caucus and attempts to moderate the party’s image after two consecutive election losses. Those efforts led to concerns that he flip-flopped on key policy positions, including on carbon pricing and gun control, angering the party’s base. He also struggled to satisfy many with his position on vaccine mandates.

The military veteran-turned-lawyer was first elected in a 2012 byelection. He served as parliamentary secretary to the minister for international trade, then veterans affairs minister during the final year of Stephen Harper’s Conservative government before it lost power in 2015.

CANADA & WORLD

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2023-04-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

2023-04-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://thespec.pressreader.com/article/281736978717549

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