OTTAWA — New Conservative Interim Leader Candice Bergen has done a clean sweep of former leader Erin O’Toole’s leadership team in Parliament.
Tory MPs were informed Friday of the major shakeup, which follows their decision to force O’Toole from the job by a vote of 73 to 45.
Bergen announced that effective immediately Quebec MP Gerard Deltell, Ontario’s Michael Barrett, Alberta’s Blake Richards and fellow Manitoba MP James Bezan were off the team.
She replaced them with Ontario MP John Brassard, who will serve as her House leader, as well as Tom Kmiec, who will be the Tories’ deputy House leader.
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Both Brassard and Kmiec were among the nine candidates to have recently run for interim leader.
Bergen also appointed Alberta MP Blaine Calkins as her chief Opposition whip and Ontario’s Lianne Rood as her deputy whip.
With the removal of Deltell, the Tories now have no representative from Quebec on their parliamentary leadership team.
At least three of O’Toole’s picks still remain in the inner circle.
Those include MP Alain Rayes, who is the Conservatives’ Quebec lieutenant, as well as Ontario MP Eric Duncan, who is caucus secretary and Alberta MP Tim Uppal, tasked with outreach.
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Conservative member of Parliament Gerard Deltell rises durixjmtzywng question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Monday, June 21, 2021. (THE CANADIAN PRESS / Sean Kilpatrick)
