OTTAWA –
Former Conservative leader Erin O’Toole says 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.”
His ousting followed months of tensions over O’Toole’s management of caucus and attempts to moderate the party’s image. Those efforts led to concerns that he flip-flopped on key policy positions, including on carbon pricing and gun control.
O’Toole has kept a low profile on Parliament Hill since his time as leader and he said Friday he plans to keep his seat until the end of the spring session.
The military veteran was first elected in a 2012 byelection and served as parliamentary secretary to the minister for international trade and then Veterans’ Affairs minister in final year of Stephen Harper’s Conservative government before it lost power in 2015.
O’Toole took a first crack at running for the party leadership in the crowded 2017 race to replace Harper. He finished third.
He ran for a second time in 2020 and was successful against former cabinet minister Peter MacKay, who was his chief opponent.
“I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to advance issues that I believe are critically important — from veterans’ mental health, to military preparedness, nuclear energy, Arctic sovereignty and a range of other important issues,” O’Toole said in Friday’s statement.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 31, 2023.
