The former finance minister, who resigned last month amid the WE scandal, used government funds for events where he promoted Liberal candidates, said Election Commissioner Yves Côté.

John A. Macdonald, Canada's first prime minister, introduced residential schools and a suite of other racist policies that killed Indigenous people. Louis Riel is a Métis leader and founder of Manitoba who Macdonald's government executed. Both "were Canadians who made good and bad choices," O'Toole said.

Although Canada isn’t out of the woods with COVID-19, the country needs the building blocks for its economic recovery, the prime minister said.

Online voting will open later this month, with a party leader to be chosen Oct. 3. The new leader will take over at a pivotal time, in a moment where talk of a green recovery from COVID-19 is gaining momentum and the possibility of a snap election this fall looms.

“When I found out about it, the tweet was already down," the new Conservative leader told reporters Wednesday.

O'Toole's early days on the job were fairly routine, but his first week ended with controversy over a tweet from a Conservative MP and his answer to a question about systemic racism.

Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson made the announcement Tuesday. The funding will be used for 11 projects, including electric vehicle charging stations and low-carbon energy.

A rundown of the different ways Ontario, Saskatchewan and British Columbia are opening up.