Erin O’Toole, the leader of Canada’s opposition Conservative Party, was ousted after a vote among his party’s lawmakers on Wednesday.
O’Toole, who has led the party since August 2020, was voted out 73-45 after a petition accusing O’Toole if straying too far from conservative values on social issues prompted the vote, according to The New York Times.
The vote to oust O’Toole also came as conservative lawmakers were bruised by their party’s third consecutive loss to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberals.
Following Wednesday’s vote, O’Toole said in a Facebook post that he would remain in Parliament and would offer “unwavering loyalty” to the next leader.
“This country needs a Conservative Party that is both an intellectual force and a governing force,” he also said. “Ideology without power is vanity. Seeking power without ideology is hubris.”
Candice Bergen, the party’s deputy head, was selected as interim leader on Wednesday. Bergen, who has been in parliament since 2008, will serve until a convention is held to select a permanent new leader, a role that Bergen is not eligible for, according to party rules, the Times reported.
A date for the convention to find a permanent successor has not yet been scheduled, Reuters noted.
Bergen, the interim leader, was the subject of criticism last year when photographs emerged of her in a “Make America Great Again” hat, which was the campaign slogan of former President Trump, per Reuters.