Erin O’Toole lashes out at Justin Trudeau, says PM puts ‘own needs’ ahead of the public

OTTAWA – Conservative leader Erin O’Toole on Wednesday lashed out at what he called an ideology-driven liberal government hell-bent on putting the needs of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ahead of the country in a speech also meant to unify and refocus his team.

O’Toole’s comments broadcast publicly at the start of his weekly caucus meeting kick off a high-stakes period for the leader, whose movements have come under scrutiny since he failed to topple Trudeau’s liberals in the fall elections.

His speech on Wednesday aimed to move the scrutiny across the aisle with the return of Parliament, while criticizing liberals for what he said is a failure to address the most pressing issue of the day: the economy.

“Instead of defending Canadians, we have a prime minister who always puts his own needs before yours,” O’Toole said.

“An ideological cabinet that will gladly fly their private jet to Glasgow, but said they could catch a train if they decide to visit Alberta. An ideological cabinet that is focused on shutting down industries and stopping investment in our country at a time when Canada is drowning in debt and division. “

In his remarks, O’Toole said that only his party is the true voice of Canadians in Parliament and will stand up for corporate workers, farmers, fishermen and the energy sector, a line that drew huge applause from his team.

“Canadians need us to be relentless in our efforts to defend Canada. Canadians need us to be courageous in our defense of this country and our freedoms, ”he said.

“Canadians need a professional, ethical and experienced conservative team to hold this tired liberal government to account and provide Canadians with a clear alternative.”

The perception that O’Toole was not energetic enough in fighting liberals during the election campaign or in defending fundamental conservative principles, such as support for the energy industry, underpins some of the dissent in his ranks that erupted in public calls. in favor. his dismissal in recent weeks.

O’Toole has taken several steps to try to stifle that dissent, including ousting Conservative Sen. Denise Batters from the party caucus for launching a petition calling for a leadership review.

The party has said that the petition is invalid, but continues to accumulate signatures.

The pressure on O’Toole is not just external; Liberals have done a lot about the vaccination status of Conservative MPs, as they are the only party that before the start of Parliament had not confirmed whether all its 119 MPs were vaccinated.

Some conservatives are opposed to disclosing their vaccination status on the grounds that it is a privacy violation, while other conservatives have raised questions about the need for vaccines to be mandatory.

But with a vaccine mandate now in place on Parliament Hill, no Conservative MP has been sidelined because they refused to receive the vaccine, although it is believed that some may have a medical exemption from the requirement to obtain one.

O’Toole has declined to confirm if that is true and, if so, how many, a fact that liberals have questioned as unfair to the safety of staff and MPs in Hill given the potential that unvaccinated MPs may be spreading the virus.