Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole told bleary-eyed supporters in an early morning victory speech that the party can get Canadians back to work.
O’Toole captured 57 per cent of the final ballot votes to Peter MacKay’s 43 per cent. For Elgin-Middlesex-London MP Karen Vecchio, she says O’Toole brings a lot to the table including the ability to unite the caucus.
Peter MacKay had been seen as the establishment candidate, and went into the race as the presumptive front-runner. Vecchio, feels while McKay performed well in Atlantic Canada, it will be very easy for O’Toole to unify the party across the country.
During his campaign, O’Toole focused on keeping the party close to what he called its “true blue” fundamentals. Vecchio says with a new leader the party must continue to hold Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s feet to the fire.
O’Toole’s win comes just one month before the minority Liberal government will deliver a throne speech laying out a post-pandemic recovery plan.
The vote on the speech is a confidence motion and the Liberals have all but dared the Tories to try to bring them down.
