DAN CEARNS, The Standard
SCUGOG: Longtime Durham MP Erin O’Toole will be leaving federal politics, and will not seek re-election as Durham’s representative.
MP O’Toole made the announcement through an online statement, released on Friday, March 31st.
“It has been the honour of a lifetime to serve my community in Parliament and to also have the privilege to serve the country as a Minister and as Leader of the Opposition. I am thankful to the people of Durham for their trust,” Mr. O’Toole wrote. “I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to advance issues [which] I believe are critically important to our country; from Veterans’ mental health, to military preparedness, nuclear energy, Arctic sovereignty and a range of other important issues. I will continue to advance these interests and serve my constituents until the end of this session.”
The press release stated, MP O’Toole will “resign his seat at the end of the spring session” and he will work to “wrap up some important work from his decade in public life.”
“I will never stop serving Canada. I am a proud Conservative and had the unique privilege to lead our party amid a challenging time for our country,” MP O’Toole said. “The Conservative Party is the party of Confederation, and I know it will return to government, offering the hope and ideas our country so desperately needs. I will help in any way I can, but will leave public life satisfied knowing that my efforts and ideas will continue to resonate in the years to come.”
Erin O’Toole is the son of former longtime MPP John O’Toole. He was first elected as Durham’s federal representative in a by-election in 2012, and went on to be re-elected in 2015, 2019 and 2021. He became the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada in 2020, but later resigned from that position in 2022.