O’Toole under fire as Tory senator launches petition seeking leadership review – National | Globalnews.ca

Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole is facing a new challenge in his bid to hold onto the party leadership.

Prominent Tory Sen. Denise Batters has launched a petition calling for a leadership review within six months, specifically pointing to O’Toole’s loss of the 2021 federal election and his party policy reversals during the campaign.

Batters said the petition is needed because O’Toole “reversed core policies” without input from either party members or caucus, and proceeded to lose the election.

READ MORE: Tories ask national councilor behind anti-O’Toole petition to turn over emails, phone records

“Conservative activists and members across Canada are supporting this petition because Erin O’Toole has reversed his own positions from his leadership campaign, betrayed Conservative principles, lost seats in the election, and cannot win the next election,” the petition states.

“As Leader, O’Toole has watered down and even entirely reversed policy positions without the input of party or caucus members. On the carbon tax, on firearms, on conscience rights, he has contradicted positions within the same week, the same day, and even within the same sentence!”

Just last week, the Conservative party pushed a member of its national council to turn over communication records related to a bid to oust O’Toole as leader in what the councillor’s lawyer has deemed an “unprecedented campaign” to “thwart dissenting views.”

More to come.