Although he positioned himself as a "true blue" conservative during the leadership race, O'Toole began embracing a more centrist approach, and reversed his previous opposition towards the federal carbon tax and assault weapons ban.

While serving at this post, O'Toole flew as a tactical navigator on a CH-124 (Sea King) helicopter with 423 Squadron, conducted maritime surveillance, and performed search and rescue and naval support operations.

Sharpe committed suicide in 1918 following his return home from World War I. O'Toole and Dallaire started the memorial breakfast to bring issues of veterans' mental health to the forefront and to improve access to treatment and resources for soldiers suffering from operational stress injuries.

[35] In 2018, after Patrick Brown resigned over accusations of sexual misconduct, O'Toole considered entering the Ontario Progressive Conservative leadership race.

[47] O'Toole's tone was angrier this time than during his first leadership run, which he stated was due to his increasing worry about the country after five years under a Trudeau government.

His victory was attributed partially to his pitch to socially conservative voters including supporters of candidates Derek Sloan and Leslyn Lewis to mark him as their second or third choice.

[54] People's Party leader Maxime Bernier criticized him in remarks dismissed by fellow leadership candidate Sloan, stating that he was not a real conservative.

[55] Shortly after becoming leader, O'Toole said that triggering a fall election was not his priority and he preferred to focus instead on the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and finding jobs for the unemployed.

[60] During the COVID-19 pandemic, O'Toole criticized the Trudeau government for not approving rapid and at-home testing options, arguing that the economy would be unstable if they or a vaccine were unavailable.

[65][66][67] In response to the WE Charity scandal, O'Toole proposed creating an anti-corruption committee tasked with releasing related details and other possible ethics violations made by the government during the COVID-19 pandemic.

[68][69][70][71] During his leadership, O'Toole worked to attract working-class people to the Conservative Party, noting his experience of watching auto workers lose their jobs in his hometown of Bowmanville, and his support for unions.

[74][75] Due to his shift from the "true blue" rhetoric of his leadership campaign to a more moderate approach, he has received some criticism from within the party and fears that he may drop certain Conservative priorities such as opposition to the carbon tax.

In the letter, Benzen criticized O'Toole's reversal on repealing Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's carbon tax and assault weapons ban.

[97] In 2022, O'Toole expressed his belief that Chinese interference had played a role in the Conservative Party's loss during the 2021 Canadian federal election in an interview with Liberal MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith on Smith's UnCommons podcast.

[109] O'Toole supports reviewing the mandate for the CBC's English digital and television operations, possibly converting it into a PBS-style public interest model to ensure it does not compete with the private sector.

[116] O'Toole opposes the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and said the Supreme Court of Canada has "set a higher bar on the so-called duty to consult.

During the speech, he said the original goal of the Canadian Indian residential school system was "to provide education", but added that it became "a horrible program that really harmed people."

He promised to launch a royal commission on the issue within 100 days of taking office and said the "big government" strategy failed Canadians.

[106][122] He proposed expanding the emergency loan program for businesses and temporarily amending bankruptcy laws to make company restructuring easier.

[124] After an anti-pipeline movement sparked rail blockades across Canada, O'Toole promised to make it a specific criminal offence to block them as well as entrances to businesses, airports, and seaports, though some opponents believe it unfairly targets them.

[138][139][140] While he supports legislation which would allow health care practitioners to decline to offer treatment inconsistent with their philosophical views such as abortion stating they may be driven out of healthcare otherwise, he clarified that he believes they should be required to refer people to those services.

[141][142][143] O'Toole voted against bill C-14, which made euthanasia legal, saying he continued to have concerns about it and would prefer resources be focused on palliative care.

[148] According to political science professor Peter McKenna, O'Toole's foreign policy, especially that towards dictatorships and the United Nations, is similar to that of former prime minister Stephen Harper.

[152] O'Toole opposes cutting Canada's foreign aid budget though he has said he would look to fund programs leading to measurable outcomes similar to prior Conservative policies.

[49][154] He supports a "Canada First" strategy to promote domestic production of goods and economic self-sufficiency but says he is not as much of a protectionist as the former US president, Donald Trump.

[155] On Israel, he supports recognition of Jerusalem as the country's capital and plans to move Canada's Israeli embassy there from Tel Aviv.

[109] He supports a tougher stance on China and imposing sanctions on Chinese Communist Party officials involved with human rights violations using provisions of the Sergei Magnitsky Law.

[162] He would give other providers tax credits to replace their infrastructure and apply pressure to other countries to stop allowing Chinese state-owned companies from accessing their markets and has called on the Trudeau government to expedite entry of political refugees fleeing Hong Kong.

[122][123][163] Because of Canada's issues with the Chinese government, O'Toole seeks to improve relations with Taiwan and put "caveats" on the One-China policy.

[164] After Chinese Ambassador Cong Peiwu made remarks against Canada granting political asylum to pro-democracy protestors in Hong Kong, O'Toole said that it was a threat on Canadians and that he should be removed if he does not apologize for them.