Ottawa, ON — Today, the Conservative Caucus voted to remove Derek Sloan. The Hon. Erin O’Toole, Leader of Canada’s Conservatives and the Official Opposition, released the following statement:

“I want all Canadians to feel welcome in the Conservative Party of Canada. 

“The focus of Canada’s Conservatives is getting as many people back to work, in every part of Canada, in every sector, as quickly as possible.

“The Conservative Caucus voted to remove Derek Sloan not because of one specific event, but because of a pattern of destructive behaviour involving multiple incidents and disrespect towards the Conservative team for over a year. These actions have been a consistent distraction from our efforts to grow the Party and focus on the work we need to do. Events of the past week were simply the last straw and led to our caucus making the decision it did today.

“I did not vote to remove Derek Sloan from our caucus because he is a social conservative. We have Members of Parliament of deep compassion and unmatched character, who like many Canadians, draw strength from their faith. The Conservative Party is a big tent that is reflective of all Canadians. People of all backgrounds have a place in our Party.

“As politicians in Canada, we must hold ourselves to the highest standards. Canadians deserve nothing less.

“We are ready to do whatever it takes to get Canada working again. In the next election, Canadians will ask themselves, ‘who do I trust to create jobs and get the economy back on track?’ 

“Our Party is working hard to earn the trust of Canadians. Canada’s Conservatives got us out of the last recession – and I know we can lead Canada out of this one too.

“Let’s get back to work.”