The Conservative caucus will gather on Parliament Hill Tuesday for a post-election meeting to decide next steps after losing Monday’s vote, party sources told CBC News.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has been busy working the phones in the days since the election as he tries to speak to every member of caucus, and some failed candidates, about the result while also pitching his continued leadership.
A source close to Poilievre told CBC News that the Conservative leader has had a warm reception on these calls and there is a general feeling that the leader should stay on after delivering mixed results — a higher, and even historic, vote share for the party while failing to depose the Liberals and losing his own seat.
That’s backed up by what some caucus members have previously told CBC News — there is leadership fatigue in the party after cycling through four leaders in 10 years.
While the Conservative Party made gains in Ontario, it lost two seats in Nova Scotia in the election, leaving Chris d’Entremont as the sole Conservative MP in the province. He tells Power & Politics he believes Poilievre should remain party leader.
There is also a general feeling that Poilievre did well in the election despite coming up short overall, because he punched through in key ridings in the Greater Toronto Area and southwestern Ontario in particular, caucus sources said.
Still, MPs will decide Tuesday whether to adopt Reform Act provisions that give caucus the power to hold a leadership review.
If adopted, MPs could oust their leader through a secret ballot. It’s the mechanism that was used in the last Parliament to get rid of Poilievre’s predecessor, Erin O’Toole.
MPs must also decide on an Official Opposition leader now that Poilievre has lost his seat and cannot serve in the role. By law, the leader must be a sitting MP.
A Conservative source told CBC News that the vote to pick an Opposition leader may not happen at Tuesday’s meeting, however.
While the Conservatives made big gains on election last night, including 12 new seats in Ontario, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre lost the vote in his Ottawa-area riding. Ontario Conservative MP-elect Scott Aitchison tells Power & Politics he doesn’t believe Poilievre should step down despite the loss. Plus, we hear from David McLaughlin, former chief of staff to prime minister Brian Mulroney, and Peter MacKay, former deputy leader of the Conservatives, about the future of the party.
It’s not yet clear if Poilievre will throw his support behind a particular candidate — or if it’s even necessary to do that as there may be a consensus pick, sources said.
Some names that have been floated by Conservative sources are deputy leader Melissa Lantsman, House leader and former party leader Andrew Scheer and Michael Barrett, the party’s ethics critic.
Those three have been trusted Poilievre lieutenants throughout his tenure. They have been given leeway to speak for the party publicly, including during the election — a work assignment given to few other MPs or candidates.
Lantsman, Scheer and Barrett all endorsed Poilievre’s continued leadership in social media posts in the hours after the election loss.
In an interview with CBC’s Power & Politics on Thursday, Conservative MP Jamil Jivani said Poilievre “has earned the right to continue leading this party” and he has strong support within caucus.
“People believe he can continue to grow this party and grow this coalition. We have built something special,” Jivani told host David Cochrane. He said the Conservative base is more urban, suburban, working class and diverse than it’s ever been.
“I think we need to continue growing that and Pierre will be able to do that well.”
As for whether there should be a change in the staff around Poilievre — his campaign manager Jenni Byrne has faced some criticism within the party — Jivani said that’s for the leader to decide.
“I trust his instincts,” he said.
