OTTAWA -- It took hours longer than initially planned, but despite the delays, Erin O'Toole has emerged as the new leader of the Conservative Party of Canada.
O'Toole on Sunday needed three ballots to capture the party's top job, knocking off first-ballot leader Peter MacKay to win the vote, upsetting him 19,271 to 14,258. The final result was not announced until early Monday morning following vote-counting issues, blamed on an envelope-opening machine.
The 47-year-old leader wasted little time before attacking Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who was reduced to a minority government in the 2019 federal election and has been embroiled in controversy, the most recent costing him his finance minister, Bill Morneau, who resigned as a result of the ongoing We Charity scandal.
"Today you have given me a clear mission, to unite our party, to champion our conservative principles, to show Canadians what we know so well, that Justin Trudeau and his team are failing our great country," O'Toole said, during a post-victory speech. "We must continue to point out Liberal failings and corruption, but we must also show Canadians our vision for a stronger, prosperous and more united Canada.
"Canada can, and must, do better. Conservatives will work hard to earn the trust and confidence of Canadians in the next election."
That vote could come as soon as the fall, hinted the 47-year-old O'Toole, who already owns a seat in the prorogued House of Commons, having represented the Ontario riding of Durham since 2012.
"As more than 260,000 Conservatives have already shown, in this record-breaking leadership amidst a pandemic, the Conservative Party will be ready for the next election. And we will win the next election," he said to a smattering of cheers. "To the millions of Canadians that are still up, that I'm meeting for the first time, good morning. I'm Erin O'Toole. You're going to be seeing and hearing a lot from me in the coming months. But I want you to know from the start that I'm here to fight for you and your family."
It was a heated race that came down to the wire. Controversial far-right candidate Derek Sloan was knocked out of contention after the first ballot and Toronto lawyer Leslyn Lewis, who surprised many with her showing during the race, was narrowly defeated on the second ballot, finishing about 1,600 votes behind MacKay.
But by then, the final result was clear.
O'Toole will take the reins of the official Opposition from Andrew Scheer, who guided the party to a second-place finish in last fall's federal election.
A former member of the Canadian military, O'Toole displayed a stark contrast to his predecessor, reaching out to minority groups, union members, the LGBTQ community and Quebecers.
He also offered a dire warning to the country.
"Soon I will be asking Canadians for the chance to serve as prime minister, so that we can get this country back on track. I love this country, and I'm very worried about the course we're on," he said. "When I launched my campaign in Calgary, I said that the stakes were high. They are even higher today. Our country is facing its most serious economic challenge since the Great Depression.
"Capital and jobs have been leaving Canada and large deficits were being run before the COVID crisis led to record debt and deficits."
O'Toole also promised to unite the country under his leadership and close the growing divide between east and west, while calling the Liberals ideological and out-of-touch.
"The world still needs more Canada. It just needs less Justin Trudeau."
