The Conservative Party plans to meet tomorrow to hold their Reform Act votes and it might spell the end for Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole.
As part of the Reform Act, which was introduced in 2014, MPs will hold four votes to decide caucus and party management. These votes will be on the following:
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Whether membership in the caucus should be controlled through votes by caucus members themselves;
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Whether caucus members should choose who serves as caucus chair;
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Whether caucus members should have the right to trigger a review of the party leader; and
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Whether caucus members should have the right to choose the interim party leader, should the position become vacant
If the MPs choose not to vote on these issues, then the decision typically falls to the Party Leader to decide, in this case, Erin O’Toole.
Of note are the last two votes, which have to do with whether the Party Leader will remain or whether MPs will seek out a new one.
In general, if the new leader of the CPC or LPC fails to win the federal election, a new leader is sought out.
However, this may not be the case this year, as O’Toole’s grip on the party remains much firmer than the previous leader’s.
Additionally, while the Reform Act allows the opportunity to trigger a leadership review, it has so far not been used.
In 2015, Stephen Harper willingly stepped down, having led both the country and Conservative Party for nearly a decade. Thus, only the fourth vote, which allows MPs to choose an interim leader, was necessary.
Similarly, Andrew Scheer resigned without a fight and decided to act as an ipso facto interim leader, rendering both the third and fourth vote unnecessary.
However, things could go very differently this year. O’Toole has made it clear that he has no intention of stepping down and was hostile towards his MPs during his campaign, booting many from the party for opposing his policies.
Thus, tomorrow’s Reform Act will be MPs’ best chance to remove their leader if they believe it necessary.
