Erin O’Toole is out as leader of the Conservative Party of Canada after roughly 62 per cent of his caucus voted to strip the leadership title from him on Feb. 2.
Back in November 2021, Saskatchewan Senator Denise Batters began a petition drive to have a leadership vote before the official date that was set by the Conservative Party for some time in 2023.
O’Toole reacted to her actions by having her expelled from the Conservative caucus. His comment at the time was, “You don’t want to make the decision, but she really made it for herself.”
It is ironic that he chose those words because that is exactly what O’Toole did to himself.
Erin O’Toole sold himself during the leadership race as a “true blue Conservative” where his values aligned with the majority of the Conservative Party membership. His campaign obviously resonated with them as he successfully beat his rivals to grab the mantle of leader.
In a matter of months, O’Toole started to shed his true-blue persona to become a lighter shade of Liberal red.
By the time the federal election rolled around in the fall of 2021, O’Toole’s positions on issues were indistinguishable from the federal Liberals. O’Toole became a human weathervane as the campaign progressed. Any issue or topic that even had the slightest potential to be controversial was tossed aside at a moment’s notice.
The result was the Conservatives coming up short in the number of seats needed to form government. In fact, the party lost seats rather than gained them.
Post-election, O’Toole continued down the path of leading a Liberal-lite Party with little notice being paid to the membership that elected him.
To paraphrase O’Toole, his caucus probably did not want to have to make this decision now, but he really made it for himself.
Kelly Gallagher
Vice-President – Martin Charlton Communications
Kelly Gallagher’s public and government relations skills can be summed up in three words: Kelly knows everybody. As the old saying goes, government relations is about who you know. After six years in professional political service on both the federal and provincial level – including serving as Chief of Staff for four provincial cabinet ministers – Kelly has become one of the most well-known and respected figures in the Saskatchewan government relations industry. If you’re looking for advice regarding your pitch to the Saskatchewan government or if you need insights into what makes the Saskatchewan government tick, Kelly can provide it. But Kelly’s abilities are not limited to government relations. He is also a skilled strategic communications analyst thanks to his years of experience in senior communications roles for the federal government and the provincial governments of Saskatchewan and British Columbia.
Find out more about government relations. Call 306 584 1000 or email kelly@martincharlton.ca
