Erin O’Toole removes Conservative senator who launched leadership review petition
Global News
Senator Denise Batters launched the petition calling for a leadership review within six months, specifically pointing to O’Toole’s loss of the 2021 federal election.
Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole has removed a Saskatchewan senator from the party a day after she launched a petition to force him to face a leadership review.
In a statement Tuesday, O’Toole said Sen. Denise Batters had been removed from the Conservative national caucus.
“As the Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, I will not tolerate an individual discrediting and showing a clear lack of respect towards the efforts of the entire Conservative caucus, who are holding the corrupt and disastrous Trudeau government to account,” O’Toole said.
On Monday, Batters launched the petition calling for a leadership review within six months, specifically pointing to O’Toole’s loss of the 2021 federal election and his party policy reversals during the campaign.
Batters said the petition is needed because O’Toole “reversed core policies” without input from either party members or caucus, and proceeded to lose the election.
In a Tweet Tuesday reacting to her removal, Batters said she would not be silenced by a leader “so weak that he fired me VIA VOICEMAIL”.
“Most importantly, he cannot suppress the will of our Conservative Party members,” she wrote.