Another Conservative party calls for O’Toole’s leadership vote | The Canadian News

A second Conservative driving association calls on party leadership to get Erin O’Toole’s leadership to vote.

The Carlton Lake — Eagle Creek drive in Saskatchewan recently passed a motion calling for a leadership review no later than June 15 to ensure “a united and strong Conservative Party of Canada prepares for an election that will can be called out in a minority parliament at any time. “

The wording almost exactly reflects a motion passed by the Foothills Conservative Driving Association in Alberta, which Global News reported Monday, was the first constituency association (EDA) to call for an accelerated vote on O’Toole’s leadership. Levi Derkson, the president of Carlton Lake-Eagle Creek Drive, told Global News that they were inspired by the Foothills movement, but that they did not coordinate with other EDAs.

“We represent members who are concerned about the policy direction the current leadership is taking the party,” Derkson wrote in a statement.

Derkson said Kelly Block, the riders’ conservative MP, was not involved in the motion but “supported the independence of her EDA board.”

Coordinated or not, calls for an accelerated leadership review are another headache for O’Toole as he prepares for a potentially difficult caucus retreat later this week. The meetings, which begin tomorrow, will include the findings of former MP James Cumming’s review of where O’Toole’s 2021 campaign fell short.

Prolonged concerns within the Conservative caucus over Bill 21 – the Quebec law banning religious dress worn by public sector employees – are also expected to be a topic of discussion.

So far, most of the public challenges for O’Toole’s continued leadership appear to come from the party’s western heartland. In addition to the Foothills and Carlton Lake — Eagle Creek motions, Sen. Denise Batters of Saskatchewan submitted a petition late last year urging the party to proceed with the review of the leadership, which is currently planned for August 2023.

O’Toole drove Batters away from the national caucus to speak, but she remained a member of the Conservatives’ senate caucus. Last week, Saskatchewan MPs voted to include Batters in their regional caucus meetings.

A Conservative Party spokesman, who was asked for comment on Wednesday, said the leadership was aware of the Carlton Lake-Eagle Creek motion and that it was one of a “very few (EDAs) across Canada (which) a expressed an opinion to have an earlier review than currently scheduled. ”

Cory Hann, the party’s director of communications, noted that the Conservative national council had voted “almost unanimously” in late 2020 to hold the next national convention in 2023. That convention would include a leadership review should O’Toole remain leader at that point.

“National council always considers the divergent views of our members and constituency associations in our decision-making, in line with our responsibility to respect the constitution drawn up by Conservative Party ground members at each national convention,” Hann wrote in a statement.

– with files by David Akin.