OTTAWA — Erin O'Toole has kicked a senator who challenged his leadership out of the Conservative caucus.
O'Toole announced Sen. Denise Batters' removal from the caucus in a brief statement — one day after she launched a petition aimed at forcing an early confidence vote on his leadership.
He says he won't tolerate an individual discrediting and disrespecting the efforts of the Conservative team that is focused on holding what he calls the "corrupt and disastrous" Trudeau government to account.
Batters was aiming to collect sufficient signatures on the petition to force the party to hold a referendum within six months on whether O'Toole should remain as leader.
She said she wanted to expedite the decision rather than wait for a leadership review at the party's 2023 national convention.
Batters accused O'Toole of straying from core party values in a vain attempt to win over centrist voters in the Sept. 20 federal election, in which the Conservatives failed to defeat Trudeau's Liberal government.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 16, 2021.
The Canadian Press