Conservative MP Erin O'Toole is throwing his hat into the ring to become the next leader of the federal Tories.
O'Toole made the announcement Friday and his first stop as he tries to drum up support will be in West Kelowna this weekend.
Central Okanagan-Similkameen-Nicola Conservative MP Dan Albas, said he has learned O'Toole plans to hold an open house to meet party members and prospective party members at the Westbank Lions Community Hall on Sunday evening. The open house is scheduled to run from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., said Albas.
It's believed O'Toole will be in the Okanagan to also attend a memorial for the late Fred King, a former Conservative MP for the area.
O'Toole, an Ontario MP, served as veteran' affairs minister in the former Conservative government of then prime minister Stephen Harper. He announced Friday he will seek the federal Conservative Party leadership.
He will join a crowed field in of candidate who want to succeed Harper, a race that already includes MPs Maxime Bernier, Andrew Scheer, Kellie Leitch, Michael Chong, Deepak Obhrai and Brad Trost.
And it could also include Tory MP Lisa Raitt, who announced on Twitter Friday she is stepping down from her role as her party's finance critic to continue discussions on the future leadership of her party.