OTTAWA | Former minister Erin O’Toole became leader of the Conservative Party of Canada (PCC) on the night from Sunday to Monday and Peter Mackay, who was seen as a favorite at the start of the race, bit the dust.
It was after a third round of the preferential ballot that Mr. O’Toole, MP for the Greater Toronto Area from Montreal, was crowned winner, collecting 19,271 points, against 14,528 for Mr. Mackay, former Minister of Justice and latest leader of the Progressive Conservative Party.
The election was close between the two ex-members of Stephen Harper’s government and ended around 1am Monday morning. Mr. Mackay led in the first round, but his lead was slim and was defeated by Mr. O’Toole in the second round.
Mr. O’Toole, however, had to collect at least 16,901 of the 33,800 points represented by the 338 Canadian ridings in this election which follows a preferential voting system.
Leslyn Lewis was third with 10,140 points.
“O’Toole is the new leader of the Conservative Party of Canada and Quebec played a decisive role in his victory,” commented political scientist Daniel Béland, director of the Institute for Canadian Studies at McGill University.
“The fact of having developed a specific platform for Quebec and of having made great efforts in the field undoubtedly explains its excellent performance,” he added.
In his induction speech, the new leader reached out to his former opponents as well as to Canadians. “Whether you’re straight or gay, never voted Conservative or never even voted, whether you pray on Friday, Saturday, Sunday or never, whether you’re new to Canadians, you have a place among the conservatives. “
Erin O’Toole especially supported in his speech, where French held an important place, on the economic challenges of the country as a result of confinement and ethics. “We must continue to highlight Liberal failures and corruption, but also show Canadians that you have a stronger, more prosperous and more united vision of Canada,” he said.
Baffling evening
The first figures were delayed for long hours on Sunday evening due to technical problems leading to delays in the counting of the votes.
“The counting of the votes took longer than expected due to the record participation of voters and regulations related to COVID-19,” said the political party, proud that 174,849 members took part in the poll.
Regardless of who emerged the winner, in any case the winner became the first leader for years to come from Eastern Canada. The new leader will also have to quickly decide whether he wants to call a general election and challenge Justin Trudeau’s Liberals. A vote of confidence is due this fall in the House of Commons and, generally speaking, minority governments like the one in place do not have a long lifespan.
A CCP spokesperson said on Sunday that the technical issues arose due to a machine used to open envelopes. Some ballots were damaged and the information they contained had to be re-entered on new sheets in order to continue the count.
The event surrounding the unveiling of Andrew Scheer’s successor was originally scheduled to start at 6 p.m., but the first-round results were not finally released until after midnight.
Former ministers have been the front runners throughout the leadership race that has garnered little interest given the COVID-19 pandemic. It was plausible, however, that Toronto lawyer Leslyn Lewis would cause surprise by becoming the first black woman elected to lead a federal party.
Former Veterans Affairs Minister Erin O’Toole has spent his entire campaign posing as a “real blue” that can get Canada back on track.
As for Peter Mackay, former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Justice, he bet on his desire to unite the conservative troops and distance himself from social conservatism, a movement opposed to abortion.
Derek Sloan, a novice MP for the Ontario riding of Hasting-Lennox and Addington, has been noted for sharply criticizing Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. Theresa Tam and for implying that she worked for China rather than Canada. He was eliminated in the first round.
Leslyn Lewis, virtually unknown at the start of the race, managed to raise a staggering $ 2 million in funding. In comparison, Mr. Mackay raised about $ 3.1 million.
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