Canada’s opposition Conservative Party ousted its leader Wednesday, effectively handing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau a boost as he deals with increased frustration over COVID-19 restrictions and wide-scale protests in the country’s capital.
Erin O’Toole was among the politicians who publicly supported the protests and even delivered hot coffee to folks standing in the freezing Ottawa streets. His ousting marks the third time in five years that his party has looked for a new leader.
O’Toole’s ousting gives the beleaguered Trudeau a splintered opposition as the public turns on him over his handling of the pandemic as well as concerns over a weak economy. A Jan. 27 poll by the Angus Reid Institute showed only half of Canadians approved of Trudeau’s pandemic response and that his approval rating dipped to 42% from 50% a year ago.
Trudeau has lashed out against the demonstrations in Ottawa and claimed protesters desecrated war memorials, waved racist flags, abused small-business owners, and stole food from the homeless. Protesters have pushed back against the allegations and accused Trudeau and his political allies of stretching the truth.
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The protests began after a group of Canadian truckers and their supporters drove from Western Canada to Ottawa to challenge a regulation that requires truckers returning from the United States to show proof of vaccination. If the truckers are not fully vaccinated, they will be subjected to COVID-19 testing and quarantine requirements. There are similar requirements on the U.S. side of the border.
Though the Ottawa protest began with the truckers, it has shifted to a wider focus that now demands that all COVID-19 restrictions and lockdown measures be lifted.
Over the past few days, the protests have grown dramatically in size and support, with most of the frustration felt by the pandemic-fatigued public aimed directly at Trudeau.
A GoFundMe page to support the “Freedom Convoy” passed the $10 million mark on Wednesday afternoon, with more than 124,000 people logging on to support the cause.
The Canadian Trucking Alliance has also weighed in and said the “vast majority of the Canadian trucking industry is vaccinated” and that it “must adapt and comply with this mandate.” It also added that it appeared the protests had no actual connection to the trucking industry and that they had “a separate agenda.”
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O’Toole was elected by appealing to the party’s right-wing and campaigned on a promise to “take back Canada.” However, he alienated many in his party by making moves that leaned more toward the center.
