Trudeau Rival O’Toole Faces Caucus Revolt Amid Trucker Protest

(Bloomberg) -- The Conservative leader who won the popular vote and held Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to a minority government in September's election is facing a caucus revolt.

Erin O'Toole, a military veteran and former corporate lawyer, could face a make-or-break vote as early as Wednesday after nearly three dozen of his party's lawmakers demanded a leadership review.

The 49-year-old politician has only been leader for 17 months, but produced a disappointing result for the Conservatives last year, failing to win any new seats despite his effort to paint Trudeau's snap election as an irresponsible power grab amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

While he has sought to move the party closer to the political center with a moderate platform, O'Toole struggled to make any breakthroughs in the big cities. He also lost votes to a right-wing splinter party that protested against vaccine mandates.

That issue again came into focus after a convoy of truckers and other activists protesting against vaccine rules and Covid restrictions paralyzed Canada's capital city this weekend. Trudeau seized on O'Toole's attempt to both support the cause but denounce the behavior of the protesters as evidence of irresponsible leadership.

In a statement on social media late Monday, O'Toole said he welcomed the challenge from the Conservative rebels, whom he described as “angry, negative and extreme.”

“It's time for a reckoning. To settle this in caucus. Right here. Right now. Once and for all. Anger vs. Optimism,” O'Toole said. “That is the choice in simple terms.”

Tacking to Center

Garnett Genuis, who represents a district in the prairie province of Alberta, said on Twitter Monday night that about a third of the 119 elected Conservative members have signed a letter seeking the leadership review. He added that O'Toole's office had misrepresented his position on conversion therapy, a controversial practice that attempts to change a person's sexual orientation; the Liberal government has outlawed it.

The Globe and Mail newspaper was the first to report the revolt, citing unnamed sources saying the group seeking to dislodge O'Toole has more than 50% support within the elected party ranks to drive him out. The Canadian Broadcasting Corp., Global News and the Toronto Star confirmed the report.

O'Toole's pivot on policy also created resentment among other Conservatives who were uncomfortable with some of the changes.

Bob Benzen, a Conservative lawmaker from Calgary, aired his disapproval of O'Toole in a tweet and said a leadership review is “the only way to avoid a dangerous split” in the party. He cited, among things, O'Toole's decision to support a carbon tax during the election campaign last year.

The split was also discernible in the handling by the party of the weekend's trucker protest in Ottawa. O'Toole attempted to walk a fine line, embracing the cause of aggrieved long-haul drivers in general while distancing himself from the actual protest and its inflammatory rhetoric.

The Conservative leader met with a group of truckers outside the city on Friday and released a video arguing Trudeau has turned his back on the industry.

But he has stayed away from the demonstrations despite vocal, in-person support from other Conservative lawmakers including his finance critic, Pierre Poilievre.