Although Conservative party leader Erin O’Toole has booted Sen. Denise Batters from the party’s caucus, Conservative senators have decided to keep Batters in their fold, according to The Canadian Press..Tuesday, O’Toole ousted Batters from caucus after she launched a petition for a leadership review..“People who are now allowing the frustrations and their own personal agendas or issues on the pandemic to interfere with our progress are not part of the team,” said O’Toole..“We are focused. That is why we made the decision.”.“Sen. Batters is still a current member of the Senate Conservative Caucus,” said Karine Leroux, spokeswoman for Senate leader Don Plett..O’Toole, on Wednesday, warned other party members they would also be kicked out of his caucus should they support Batters’ attempt to force an early confidence vote..In 2018, Andrew Scheer kicked Sen. Lynn Beyak out of the national caucus for her defence of residential schools and remarks she made towards Indigenous Peoples that were deemed racist. .Immediately following Scheer’s actions, the Conservative Senate caucus also booted Beyak..The decision by Conservative senators to keep Batters on suggests they are aiming to defy O’Toole..“As always, I continue to support Erin O’Toole’s strong and principled leadership to unite the Conservative Party of Canada,” Plett tweeted in support of O’Toole’s decision to kick Batters out..Although Plett supports O’Toole’s decision, 17 other Conservative senators have decided to allow Batters to remain..Batters said she had a lot of support from senators and MPs to launch the petition Monday rather than wait for the party’s 2023 national convention for O’Toole’s leadership review..She also questioned why Sen. Michael MacDonald wasn’t booted when he questioned O’Toole’s ability to lead after the September 20th election..“The status quo under the present circumstances is a mistake and a gift to the Liberals that this party and this country cannot afford,” MacDonald wrote to Conservative MPs..Both Batters and MacDonald said O’Toole’s loss of seats in the fall election constituted a failure in their leader’s plan to present the party as more moderate and centrist..Melanie Risdon is a reporter with the Western Standard.,.mrisdon@westernstandardonline.com
