The Conservative leadership saga is playing out in real time like the Riann Johnson Movie "Knives Out"
Overnight new broke that 60 Conservative MP's - making up more than half of the Conservative caucus - has signed a letter calling for a leadership review of the embattled Erin O'Toole.
Travis Dhanraj, CBC's Parliamentary Reporter reported that "Sr. @CPC_HQ source close to
@erinotoole camp says move to oust leader “stems from the conversion therapy vote”'
That same source, according to Dhanraj, claimed that "MP @GarnettGenuis is spearheading the coup because he was in Latvia when we gave unanimous consent to make conversion therapy illegal. So this was all started by the group that are internally referred to as the Conversion Crew. They're driving this"
The MP for Fort Saskatchewan Sherwood Park took to twitter claiming that source speaking with Dhanraj was lying and he never spearheaded the move on the leadership, " Efforts by Erin O'Toole's communications team to personally smear me by misstating my position on Conversion Therapy are beyond the pale.
"This is the kind of division that is tearing at our party and it must come to an end. We need leadership that unites instead of divides," Genuis stated.
The Fort Saskatchewan Sherwood Park MP did say that he signed the letter seeking an early leadership review, "About 1/3rd of caucus signed a letter calling for an end to Erin O'Toole's leadership, representing a broad cross-section of opinion. Mr. O'Toole should recognize that his position is untenable, rather than using lies to publicly attack members of his own team."
With over 1/3rd of caucus support a leadership review, a secret vote is anticipated to happen on Wednesday.
O'Toole welcomes a leadership review posting on social media that this was a defining moment for the party, "There are two roads open to the Conservative Party of Canada. One is the road of Randy Hillier and Derek Sloan. It is angry, negative, and extreme. It is a dead-end; one that would see the party of Confederation become the NDP of the right.
"I’m not going anywhere and I’m not turning back. Canada needs us to be united and serious! It’s time for a reckoning. To settle this in caucus. Right here. Right now. Once and for all. Anger vs. Optimism. That is the choice in simple terms."