Top Poilievre adviser targets former CPC leader for wishing departing Liberal well

Some of Canada's most prominent Conservatives are defending Pierre Poilievre adviser Jenni Byrne for criticizing former party leader Erin O'Toole on social media.

On Sunday, O'Toole wished Liberal MP and cabinet minister Anita Anand well, following her announcement that she would not run in the next federal election.

Anand was a former defence minister, and O'Toole served in the Canadian Armed Forces for 12 years. He was also the leader of the Opposition during her time as minister.

"I saw the dedication [Anand] brought to National Defence at a time it was desperately needed," wrote O'Toole. "She cared deeply about the CAF, their families and the need for Canada to do more. I wish her fair winds and following seas."

Two hours later, Byrne reposted O'Toole's words and added: "For anyone unsure why Erin is no longer leader of the Conservative Party…. [Anand] supported DEI [diversity, equity and inclusion] policies like name, rank and pronouns. Tampons in men's rooms, etc."

Byrne, an influential Conservative organizer who worked in the Harper PMO, has been a key architect of the Conservative strategy in Poilievre's tenure. She did not respond to an interview request from CBC News.

Her comments spurred a sea of responses, including some critical Conservative responses. One Liberal minister called them "classless," while a Liberal staffer noted the difference between this Conservative response and previous examples.

O'Toole's campaign co-chair, lawyer Walied Soliman, wrote "to all the young people involved in [the Conservative Party] and politics in Canada generally, this is exactly how not to behave in those inevitably fleeting moments when you feel you are on top. Be humble in leadership."

Byrne responded, writing, "Walied, were you not the campaign chair for Erin that came out publicly with five hours to go left in the polls in 2021 to say the CPC were losing AND it was not your fault. As volunteers and candidates across the country were pulling vote after an exhausting campaign. I need no leadership lessons from you."

O'Toole led the Conservative Party in the 2021 election, and while the party won the popular vote, it failed to form government.

He won party leadership with a Conservative platform that he moderated before the election, shifting his position on a federal carbon tax and assault weapon ban.

His backtracking cost him the party leadership; he was ousted by his caucus in 2022.

"O'Toole has indeed left a sour taste in the mouth of many Conservatives," said Dimitri Soudas, former director of communications for Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Soudas added there's an unwritten rule "that once you are no longer leader, it is best to remain silent."

O'Toole was replaced by Poilievre, who recently told author and media personality Jordan Peterson he will "fiercely resist" suggestions to moderate his Conservative views and policies. 

Poilievre has held a double-digit lead in opinion polling for more than a year, with weeks to go before a possible federal election.

O'Toole is now president of risk-management firm ADIT North America, and said in a statement that he is "looking forward to seeing my Conservative colleagues continue their great work and forming government.

"We need a Team Canada approach to navigate our complex relationship with president-elect Trump — which means working professionally with leaders from across political parties and levels of government," said the statement. 

Byrne defended by Conservatives

"Like Christy Clark, Erin O'Toole also bought a CPC membership and pretended to be a Conservative," British Columbia MP Todd Doherty said on social media.

Conservative deputy leader Melissa Lantsman added her voice to the discussion on Monday.

"Looks like the Twitter sphere is having a meltdown about the best political organizer in the business — and it's not even close," she wrote.

"When she took a break — this party was in shambles. When people counted her out, she was right. And when she came back into the fold — her advice has led to a complete meltdown of the Liberal government who just struck Canadians with their pathetic political drama in the middle of a national crisis."

Others, including former Poilievre spokesperson Anthony Koch, said Conservatives are held to an unfair standard.

"It's amazing how Liberals can go around calling Conservatives far-right fascists that are a 'danger to Canada' day in and day out (and that's the most tame of it) yet are never criticized for being insufficiently cordial. Tone policing is only ever for Conservatives," he wrote. 

Soudas and Amanda Galbraith, co-founder and partner of the communications firm Oyster Group, agree. Galbraith warns against "pearl clutching." 

Both pointed to examples of things Liberals have said in recent history that made less of a splash, such as former environment minister Catherine McKenna saying potential Liberal leadership contender Christy Clark "thinks politics is saying whatever is required to win" or Immigration Minister Marc Miller calling Peterson and Poilievre "greasy walruses."

"I do think that Conservatives get jumped on immediately," said Galbraith. "We're told we're knuckle-dragging troglodytes who have just crawled out of the swamp, and we don't understand or we're not evolved enough, right? And I find that incredibly frustrating."