Conservative party leader in Canada ousted by his lawmakers

By ROB GILLIES
Associated Press

TORONTO (AP) — The leader of Canada’s Conservative party has been ousted after a vote by the party’s lawmakers. It is the third main political rival Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has helped bring down. Erin O’Toole angered some by trying to move the Conservative party more toward the center. O’Toole’s removal has big implications for the conservative movement in Canada. With him gone, the party could swing back further right. O’Toole advertised himself more than a year ago as a “true-blue Conservative.” He became Conservative Party leader with a pledge to “take back Canada,” but pushed the party toward the political center. He lost the federal election last fall.