Erin O'Toole, Canada's new Conservative Party leader, gets 57 pct votes on final ballot
Ottawa/IBNS: Erin O'Toole became the new Canada's Conservative Party leader Aug 24 by getting 57 per cent of the votes on the third and final ballot, compared to 43 per cent for second-place contender Peter MacKay, media reports said.
O'Toole claimed victory after Leslyn Lewis dropped off on the second ballot, and Derek Sloan dropped off after the first ballot.
The final results of the leadership race for the Conservative Party were announced shortly after 1 a.m. ET Aug 24 after a six-hour delay due to glitches with the ballots.
With great promises to present a vision to make Canada more prosperous and broaden the party's base of supporters, O'Toole in his acceptance speech said he would champion Conservative values and hold Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to account and said,
"We must continue to point out Liberal failings and corruption, but we must also show Canadians our vision for a stronger, more prosperous and more united Canada."
Reaching out to all Canadians in all regions of the country and from diverse backgrounds, O'Toole acknowledged the party needs to broaden its base to win the next election.
"I believe that whether you are Black, white, brown or from any race or creed, whether you are LGBT or straight, whether you are an Indigenous Canadian or have joined the Canadian family three weeks ago or three generations ago, whether you're doing well or barely getting by, whether you worship on Friday, Saturday, Sunday or not at all … you are an important part of Canada, and you have a home in the Conservative Party of Canada," he said.
O'Toole's speech is suggestive of his understanding to deliver a positive message and to reach out to a broader base of voters, said David Stewart, a political science professor at the University of Calgary, in an email, reported by CBC News.
The outgoing Conservative Party leader, Andrew Scheer in his farewell speech urged the Conservative party members to stand united to reach out to new supporters.
"In times like these, it is even more important for every single Conservative to stay united and do everything we can to work together to spread our message of hope," he said.
"It doesn't matter what kind of Conservative you are. Our party needs all of you and we need you to go out and find more people who share our beliefs. Please stay involved. Be bold. Think. Challenge the mainstream media. Don't take the left-wing media narrative as fact."
(Reporting by Asha Bajaj)
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