Thread by @JPTasker

Just off the phone with a Conservative caucus member who spoke very frankly about Monday's election.

They're not happy with O'Toole. Biggest issue? Campaigning as a "true blue" in the leadership and then abandoning many promises in the general. Carbon tax. Guns. Fiscal prudence.

"He campaigned as a Liberal. He wasn't even Liberal lite — he campaigned as a Liberal in this campaign with no input from caucus or the party or anybody else," the caucus member said.

The caucus member also said they and others were caught off guard by what was actually in the party's platform.

"I didn't even know what we were running on until I saw him on TV," the Tory said of O'Toole's platform launch on day two of the campaign.

"O'Toole took a huge risk in this campaign by campaigning in the way that he did and that risk did not pay off. He needs to leave," the caucus member said, adding the loss of urban & diverse MPs is "a huge concern."

"I'm just devastated that we lost those MPs," the person said.

"O'Toole was willing to give the gun lobby whatever they wanted" during the leadership, the caucus member said, and then he flip-flopped on the assault-style firearms ban during the campaign. "I was stunned," the person said.

"If he had campaigned in the leadership on these ideas he never would have won," the caucus member said.

They were also perturbed by O'Toole's idea of mandating workers on corporate boards. "What are we, a communist country? This is incredible coming from a Conservative leader."

Conservatives divided on what to do about Erin O'Toole after election loss. cbc.ca/news/politics/…