Erin O'Toole
Erin O'Toole | |
---|---|
O'Toole in 2014 | |
Leader of the Opposition | |
Assumed office August 24, 2020 | |
Deputy | TBA |
Preceded by | Andrew Scheer |
Leader of the Conservative Party | |
Assumed office August 24, 2020 | |
President | Scott Lamb |
Deputy | TBA |
Preceded by | Andrew Scheer |
Minister of Veterans Affairs | |
In office January 5, 2015 – November 4, 2015 | |
Prime Minister | Stephen Harper |
Preceded by | Julian Fantino |
Succeeded by | Kent Hehr |
Member of the Canadian Parliament for Durham | |
Assumed office November 26, 2012 | |
Preceded by | Bev Oda |
Personal details | |
Born | Erin Michael O'Toole January 22, 1973 Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
Political party | Conservative |
Spouse(s) | Rebecca O'Toole ( m. 2000) |
Children | 2 |
Father | John O'Toole |
Residence | Courtice, Ontario, Canada |
Alma mater | Royal Military College (BA, Hons) Dalhousie University (LLB) |
Profession | Lawyer, politician |
Website | erinotoole |
Military service | |
Branch/service | Canadian Forces Air Command |
Years of service | 1991–2000 (active) 2000–2003 (reserve) |
Rank | Captain |
Unit | 423 Maritime Helicopter Squadron |
Awards | Canadian Forces' Decoration Sikorsky Helicopter Rescue Award |
Erin Michael O'Toole PC CD MP (born January 22, 1973) is a Canadian politician who has been the Leader of the Conservative Party and the Leader of the Official Opposition of Canada since August 24, 2020.
After a decade in the Royal Canadian Air Force and a subsequent legal career, O'Toole was elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Durham in a by-election in 2012. O'Toole briefly served in the Harper Government as Minister of Veterans Affairs in 2015.
In 2017, O'Toole ran in the leadership election to replace Stephen Harper, finishing third. He was appointed Opposition critic for foreign affairs by the winner, Andrew Scheer. After Scheer's resignation in 2020, O'Toole ran in the election to replace him, and on August 24 was announced as the winner, making him Leader of the Opposition.
Background
O'Toole was born in Montreal, Quebec, the son of Molly (Hall) and John O'Toole, who served as the member of Provincial Parliament for Durham in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario between 1995 and 2014.[2] His father is of Irish descent, and his mother was born in London, England, and came to Canada after World War II.[3][4] Following his mother's death when he was nine years old, his family moved to Port Perry where he attended elementary school. O'Toole and his family later moved a short way to Bowmanville, where he graduated from Bowmanville High School.[5]
In 1991, O'Toole joined the military, and enrolled at the Royal Military College of Canada (RMC) in Kingston, Ontario. He graduated with an honours bachelor of arts in history and political science in 1995.
Military career
Following his graduation, O'Toole was commissioned as an officer in the Canadian Forces Air Command (AIRCOM), now the Royal Canadian Air Force.[6] His first posting with Air Command occurred in Trenton, Ontario, where he was involved in search and rescue operations. O'Toole also spent time at 17 Wing in Winnipeg, Manitoba, where he completed his training as an air navigator.[6]
In 1997, O'Toole was posted to 12 Wing in Shearwater, Nova Scotia. While serving at this post, O'Toole flew as a tactical navigator on a CH-124 (Sea King) helicopter with 423 Squadron, conducted maritime surveillance, and performed search and rescue and naval support operations.[6] While serving at 12 Wing, O'Toole was promoted to the rank of captain. O'Toole also received the Canadian Forces' Decoration for 12 years of service to Canada.[5] O'Toole was also awarded the Sikorsky Helicopter Rescue Award, for having rescued an injured fisherman at sea. [5]
In 2000, O'Toole completed his active service in the military.[6] He transferred to the reserves working as a training officer running flight simulators, while he pursued a law degree.[5]
Legal career
O'Toole graduated from Dalhousie University with a law degree in 2003, and returned to Ontario. He articled at and later became a lawyer with Stikeman Elliott, a business law firm in Toronto. During this time, O'Toole primarily practiced corporate law, insolvency matters, and energy regulation.
Between 2006 and 2011, O'Toole served as Canadian in-house counsel for Procter & Gamble.[7] He served as corporate counsel for the Gillette healthcare, beauty, and paper business groups, provided commercial and regulatory law advice, and was counsel on issues relating to legislation and anti-counterfeiting operations in Canada.
In 2011, O'Toole joined the law firm Heenan Blaikie.[8][9]
Political career
In May 2012, O'Toole announced his plans to run as the Conservative candidate in the by-election for Durham, following Bev Oda's resignation.[10] On November 26, 2012, O'Toole easily won the by-election for the electoral district of Durham.[11] After spending a few months as a backbencher in the House of Commons, O'Toole was named the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade, Ed Fast, in September 2013.[12]
In 2014, O'Toole partnered with then-senator Roméo Dallaire to host the first Samuel Sharpe Memorial Breakfast, in honour of former soldier and MP Samuel Simpson Sharpe. Sharpe committed suicide in 1918 following his return home from World War I. O'Toole and Dallaire started the memorial breakfast to bring issues of veterans' mental health to the forefront and to improve access to treatment and resources for soldiers suffering from operational stress injuries.[13] In May 2018, O'Toole introduced a motion to install a plaque commemorating Sharpe on Parliament Hill. The motion to install the plaque passed unanimously.[14]
Minister of Veterans Affairs
On January 5, 2015, O'Toole was appointed minister of veterans affairs, replacing Julian Fantino.[15] O'Toole prioritized repairing relations with veterans and addressing the complaints Canadian veterans had with Fantino.[16]
During his time as minister of veteran affairs, O'Toole was able to convince the veterans to place a lawsuit against the Canadian government on hold while they entered settlement negotiations.[17] The lawsuit, filed before O'Toole was named minister, was based on Canadian soldiers arguing that the 2006 overhaul of veteran benefits was discriminatory.[17]
2015 federal election
In the 2015 election, O'Toole was re-elected as MP for Durham. He received 45 per cent of the vote, followed by Liberal candidate Corinna Traill at 36 per cent.[18]
2017 Conservative leadership campaign
Stephen Harper resigned as Conservative party leader after the party was defeated by the Liberals in the 2015 election. O'Toole announced that he would seek the interim leadership of the Conservative Party.[19] He was defeated by Rona Ambrose, who named O'Toole the Official Opposition critic for public safety.[20]
On October 14, 2016, O'Toole announced his nomination to be a candidate in the 2017 Conservative Party of Canada leadership election.[21] O'Toole received endorsements from 31 MPs, 12 former MPs, 17 provincial politicians, and CANZUK International.[22][23] O'Toole finished in third place, behind Maxime Bernier and eventual winner Andrew Scheer.[24]
Foreign affairs opposition critic
On August 31, 2018, O'Toole was appointed the official opposition critic for foreign affairs.[25]
In 2018, after Patrick Brown resigned over accusations of sexual misconduct, O'Toole considered entering the Ontario PC leadership election race.[26] However, O'Toole passed on the opportunity, instead endorsing and supporting Christine Elliott.[27]
2020 Conservative leadership campaign
After the October 2019 election, in December, Andrew Scheer resigned as Conservative Party leader after losing to Liberal leader Justin Trudeau.[28][29][30] Scheer remained as interim leader.[31]
O'Toole announced that he would seek the leadership of the Conservative Party in late January 2020.[32]
Leader of the Conservative Party
O'Toole became the third leader of the Conservative Party of Canada after three rounds were counted, replacing Andrew Scheer. His victory was partially attributed to his pitch to supporters of Derek Sloan and Leslyn Lewis to mark him as their second or third choice.[33] People's Party leader Maxime Bernier criticized him in remarks dismissed by fellow leadership candidate Sloan, claiming he wasn't a real conservative.[34]
Political positions
O'Toole campaigned for leader of the Conservative Party promising to privatize the CBC, [35] reverse restrictions on gun ownership, and let provinces scrap the carbon tax.[36]
Personal life
O'Toole married in 2000. He has a daughter, Mollie, and a son, Jack.[37] O'Toole is Roman Catholic.[38]
Awards and recognition
In 2012, O'Toole was awarded the Christopher J. Coulter Young Alumnus Award by Dalhousie University, for his achievements and dedication to community service.[39]
Also in 2012, O'Toole received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.[40] All serving MPs that year were recipients.[41]
Electoral record
2019 Canadian federal election: Durham | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
Conservative | Erin O'Toole | 30,752 | 42.1 | -3.03 | ||||
Liberal | Jonathan Giancroce | 23,547 | 32.2 | -3.55 | ||||
New Democratic | Sarah Whalen-Wright | 13,323 | 18.2 | +2.17 | ||||
Green | Evan Price | 3,950 | 5.4 | +2.88 | ||||
People's | Brenda Virtue | 1,442 | 2.0 | – | ||||
Total valid votes/Expense limit | 73,014 | 100.0 | ||||||
Total rejected ballots | 480 | |||||||
Turnout | 73,494 | 71.2 | ||||||
Eligible voters | 107,367 | |||||||
Conservative hold | Swing | +0.26 | ||||||
Source: Elections Canada[42][43] |
2015 Canadian federal election: Durham | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
Conservative | Erin O'Toole | 28,967 | 45.13 | −10.04 | $117,180.89 | |||
Liberal | Corinna Traill | 22,949 | 35.75 | +20.22 | $51,458.76 | |||
New Democratic | Derek Spence | 10,289 | 16.03 | −7.72 | $21,240.10 | |||
Green | Stacey Leadbetter | 1,616 | 2.52 | −2.04 | $109.90 | |||
Christian Heritage | Andrew Moriarity | 364 | 0.57 | – | $4,224.95 | |||
Total valid votes/Expense limit | 64,185 | 100.00 | $236,417.96 | |||||
Total rejected ballots | 233 | 0.36 | – | |||||
Turnout | 64,418 | 68.93 | – | |||||
Eligible voters | 93,455 | |||||||
Conservative hold | Swing | -15.13 | ||||||
Source: Elections Canada[44][45][46] |
Durham Resignation of Bev Oda | Canadian federal by-election, November 26, 2012: ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
Conservative | Erin O'Toole | 17,280 | 50.72 | −3.83 | $95,331 | |||
New Democratic | Larry O'Connor | 8,946 | 26.26 | +5.16 | $96,257 | |||
Liberal | Grant Humes | 5,887 | 17.28 | −0.57 | $91,946 | |||
Green | Virginia Ervin | 1,386 | 4.07 | −1.32 | $742 | |||
Christian Heritage | Andrew Moriarity | 437 | 1.28 | +0.49 | $4,379 | |||
Online | Michael Nicula | 132 | 0.39 | – | $1,080 | |||
Total valid votes | 34,068 | 100.00 | ||||||
Total rejected ballots | 115 | |||||||
Turnout | 34,183 | 35.87 | ||||||
Eligible voters | 95,296 | |||||||
Conservative hold | Swing | −8.99 | ||||||
Source: "November 26, 2012 By-elections". Elections Canada. November 27, 2012. Retrieved November 27, 2012. |
References
- ^ "Conservatives hang on to Oda's Durham riding". Toronto Sun, November 26, 2012.
- ^ "John O'Toole | Legislative Assembly of Ontario". www.ola.org. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
- ^ https://www.canadianmuslimvote.ca/cpc_interview_series_erin_o_toole
- ^ https://openparliament.ca/politicians/erin-otoole/?page=98
- ^ a b c d van Bilsen, Jonathan. "The Story Behind The Person - Erin O'Toole". The Standard Newspaper. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- ^ a b c d Levitz, Stephanie. "Five things to know about new veterans Affairs Minister Erin O'Toole". iPolitics.ca. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- ^ "Interview Series: Erin O'Toole". The Canadian-Muslim Vote. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- ^ "Heenan Blaikie lawyer takes aim at replacing Bev Oda in Parliament". Precedent. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- ^ Gray, Jeff. "The inside story of Heenan Blaikie's frantic final days". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- ^ Erman, Boyd. "Bay Street lawyer eyes Bev Oda's seat". The Globe and Mail.
- ^ Hall, Chris. "Erin O'Toole thoroughly dominates Durham". DurhamRegion.com.
- ^ "Parliamentary Roles - Erin O'Toole". Parliament of Canada.
- ^ Dillon, Moya. "Durham MP Erin O'Toole revives legacy of Zephyr war vet Samuel Sharpe". DurhamRegion.com.
- ^ "100 years after his death, 'forgotten' officer to be commemorated on Hill". CBC News.
- ^ "PM Announces Change to the Ministry" Archived 2015-01-05 at the Wayback Machine January 5, 2015
- ^ Long, Jamie. "Erin O'Toole, veterans affairs minister, moves to address complaints". CBC News.
- ^ a b Brewster, Murray. "Afghan vets lawsuit over benefits on hold as Tories search for settlement". CBC News.
- ^ "Durham Riding stays blue with Erin O'Toole: 2015 federal election results". DurhamRegion.com.
- ^ "Erin O'Toole, ex-Veterans Affair minister, to seek Conservative interim leadership". CBC News.
- ^ Harris, Kathleen. "Rona Ambrose chosen as interim Conservative leader". CBC News.
- ^ Pessian, Parvaneh. "Durham MP Erin O'Toole launches Conservative leadership bid in Bowmanville". DurhamRegion.com.
- ^ Grenier, Éric. "Erin O'Toole winning Conservative caucus as it shuns leadership front-runners Bernier, O'Leary". CBC NEWS.
- ^ Skinner, James. "Pro-CANZUK Leader Meets With CANZUK International". Retrieved October 22, 2019.
- ^ "Conservative Leadership: The Results". CPAC. May 29, 2017. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
- ^ O'Meara, Jennifer. "O'Toole named Conservative shadow minister for foreign affairs". DurhamRegion.com.
- ^ Lunn, Susan; Tasker, John. "Conservative MP Erin O'Toole considering run for Ontario PC leadership". CBC News.
- ^ Fitzpatrick, Meagan. "Erin O'Toole takes pass on Ontario PC leadership, endorses Christine Elliott". CBC News.
- ^ "Canada Conservative leader in surprise resignation". BBC News. December 12, 2019.
- ^ Rabson, Mia (December 15, 2019). "Conservative party in disarray over Scheer private school controversy". National Observer.
- ^ MacCharles, Tonda (December 12, 2019). "Andrew Scheer quitting as Conservative leader amid controversy". thestar.com.
- ^ Connolly, Amanda. "Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer resigns, vows to stay on until new leader chosen". Global News.
- ^ Levitz, Stephanie. "Erin O'Toole announces bid for Conservative leadership in Alberta". Global News.
- ^ "Erin O'Toole wins Conservative Party of Canada leadership on 3rd ballot". CP24. August 23, 2020. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
- ^ Zimonjic, Peter (August 24, 2020). "Erin O'Toole spends 1st day overseeing transition, talking to PM and Scheer". CBC News. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
- ^ https://erinotoole.ca/defundcbc/
- ^ https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/what-has-erin-o-toole-promised-to-do-as-tory-leader-1.5077126
- ^ Pessian, Parvaneh. "Durham MP Erin O'Toole launches Conservative leadership bid in Bowmanville". DurhamRegion.com. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- ^ McCullough, J.J. (August 24, 2020). "Canada's Conservatives pick Erin O'Toole as leader — and reject the temptation to go left". Washington Post. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
- ^ Weeren, Marie. "Alumni Association Awards celebrate outstanding alumni". Dalhousie University. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- ^ General, Office of the Secretary to the Governor. "Erin O'Toole, M.P." The Governor General of Canada. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
- ^ "First 60 Canadians set to receive Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
- ^ "List of confirmed candidates". Elections Canada. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
- ^ "Election Night Results". Elections Canada. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
- ^ Elections Canada – Confirmed candidates for Durham, 30 September 2015
- ^ Elections Canada – Preliminary Election Expenses Limits for Candidates Archived August 15, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Election Night Results". Elections Canada. Retrieved October 20, 2015.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Erin O'Toole. |
Parliament of Canada | ||
---|---|---|
Preceded by Bev Oda |
Member of Parliament for Durham 2012–present |
Incumbent |
Political offices | ||
Preceded by Julian Fantino |
Minister of Veterans Affairs 2015 |
Succeeded by Kent Hehr |
Preceded by Andrew Scheer |
Leader of the Opposition 2020–present |
Incumbent |
Party political offices | ||
Preceded by Andrew Scheer |
Leader of the Conservative Party 2020–present |
Incumbent |
- 1973 births
- Anglophone Quebec people
- Canadian people of English descent
- Canadian people of Irish descent
- Conservative Party of Canada MPs
- Lawyers in Ontario
- Leaders of the Conservative Party of Canada
- Living people
- Members of the 28th Canadian Ministry
- Members of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada
- Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario
- Military personnel from Montreal
- People from Clarington
- Politicians from Montreal
- Procter & Gamble people
- Royal Canadian Air Force officers
- Royal Military College of Canada alumni
- Canadian Roman Catholics