OTooles office said last week it will no longer grant interviews to the provocative right-wing organization The Rebel, but wouldnt say whether that ban would extend to all. At least one MP has granted them an interview since then.
The Rebel took a direct swipe Monday at OToole, accusing him of ignoring the base of the party.
Hey (Erin OToole), wrote The Rebels Keean Bexte in response to an OToole tweet about American civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr.
I know you are busy virtue signalling about a foreign activist from the last century but right now in your country, gun owners (your base for now) are in court fighting tooth and nail to stop that politician youre paid to oppose.
OTooles move Monday came as moderate and more rock-ribbed elements in the party prepare for a showdown at a policy convention scheduled for March.
The people who form the base of the party, which does include gun-rights advocates, are also those who will show up in force at the convention.
Its a venue where OToole can set the tone, said former party strategist Tim Powers. Hes going to want to use that to showcase modernity.
Issues so far advanced for potential debate include medical assistance in dying, religious freedoms, the rights of parents to raise their kids free of government or institutional interference and ending the use of most temporary foreign workers.
Conservative leader Erin OToole.Photo by Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press/File
A concerted effort to register delegates is also being made by those seeking to delete the partys official line that a Conservative government would not support any legislation to regulate abortion.