Candice Bergen calls on Liberals to extend ‘olive branch’ to trucker convoy
Global News
The Conservative caucus elected the Manitoba MP and former deputy party leader on Wednesday to serve as interim head after a majority of MPs ousted Erin O'Toole from the top job.
Candice Bergen says her goal as interim leader of Canada’s Official Opposition will be to strengthen the conservative movement and leave the next leader with a party that’s ready to win.
The Conservative caucus elected the Manitoba MP and former deputy party leader on Wednesday to serve as interim head after a majority of MPs ousted Erin O’Toole from the top job.
Bergen faces a caucus that has spent weeks divided and angry over O’Toole’s leadership since last year’s federal election loss.
She also takes on the role at a time when anti-vaccine mandate protesters have jammed downtown Ottawa, honking into all hours of the night and forcing the closure of many businesses and services.
Some Conservative MPs accused O’Toole of failing to take a clear stance on the protest, while Bergen has offered her full support to the group and dismissed reports of racism and harassment among the demonstrators as the actions of a small few.
Bergen’s Tory colleagues greeted her with a standing ovation in the House of Commons Thursday as she made her debut as interim leader during question period, where she took aim at the Trudeau government for refusing to extend an “olive branch” to the demonstrators.
“Can the prime minister please tell Canadians what role he thinks the government can play and what they can do to solve the impasse?” Bergen asked.
The protesters have clogged the capital for nearly a week and say they won’t leave until vaccine mandates and other COVID-19 restrictions are abolished. Some have flown Nazi and Confederate flags, desecrated monuments including the National War Memorial, and been accused of harassing homeless shelter staff and masked residents on the street.
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