Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre will undergo a leadership review in January 2024 following the party's defeat in the April election. This will be the party's first leadership review since 2004, when Stephen Harper successfully defended his leadership.
The decision to hold the review stems from the Conservatives' failure to win the election, despite initial polling suggesting a significant lead over the Liberals. The shift in public opinion is attributed to various factors, including the election of Donald Trump and subsequent trade disputes, Trudeau's resignation, and Mark Carney's ascension to Prime Ministership.
The review will take place in Calgary and is scheduled for the last week of January. Pierre Poilievre reportedly favoured an earlier date than some other party members, who had suggested a March convention.
Poilievre also lost his seat in the April election and is expected to run in the Alberta riding of Battle River-Crowfoot. The outcome of the leadership review will determine his continued leadership of the Conservative Party.
This is a significant event, given that neither Andrew Scheer nor Erin O'Toole remained in their positions long enough after their respective election losses to face a similar review.
Conservative Party members will vote in January on whether Pierre Poilievre should remain as leader after his party failed to win Aprilâs election.
The vote will take place in Calgary, the partyâs national council determined during a meeting Saturday, three sources told The Globe and Mail.
Some within the Conservative Party were suggesting a March convention, but two of the sources told The Globe that Mr. Poilievre wanted to have the leadership vote sooner. No firm date for the vote has been established, but the party is targeting the last week in January for the event.
Calgary was chosen because it could accommodate the event, the sources said.
The Globe is not identifying the sources as they were not authorized to publicly discuss national council decisions.
A spokesperson for the Conservative Party declined to comment.
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Throughout 2024, Mr. Poilievreâs party seemed certain to win the election scheduled for October, 2025.
Polls suggested they had a double-digit lead over the governing Liberals, numbers linked both to Mr. Poilievreâs economic focus and widespread discontent with then-Liberal leader and prime minister Justin Trudeau.
After the election of Donald Trump last November, the ground began to shift as the U.S. President imposed a range of tariffs on Canada and mused about the country becoming the 51st state.
The dispute set off a surge of nationalist fervour, and support for the Liberals began to inch up as the question for Canadians became who was best to go up against Mr. Trump.
Then, Mr. Trudeau resigned, and former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney became prime minister, dissolved Parliament and called an election.
He led the Liberals to a fourth-term victory, albeit another minority. Mr. Poilievreâs party picked up more seats in the April 28 vote than they held in the last Parliament and increased their share of the popular vote.
The Conservative Partyâs constitution states that at the first national convention after an election the party doesnât win â if the leader hasnât resigned â âthe delegates will vote by secret ballot if they wish to engage the leadership selection process.â
Mr. Poilievre also lost his seat in the April election.
He is expected to run in the Alberta riding of Battle River-Crowfoot.
Mr. Carney has said he will call a by-election as soon as is feasible.
Though the Conservatives have failed to win the past four elections, this will be the partyâs first leadership review since 2004, when then-leader Stephen Harper won handily.
He went on to win government for the Conservatives in the 2006, 2008 and 2011 elections and then resigned after his defeat in 2015.
Neither of his replacements â Andrew Scheer and Erin OâToole â remained in their positions long enough after the 2019 and 2021 elections to face party membership.
Some Tories say the collapse of the NDP vote is the reason they failed to defeat the Liberals this year. Others have said the campaign didnât adjust when it became clear the stakes were changing.
âWe didnât pivot quickly enough,â Conservative MP Brad Vis told the podcast Bigger Than Me earlier this month.
âWe were rightfully focused on cost-of-living issues, on changes that we need to see in the Criminal Code, but we didnât speak enough about the challenges that Donald Trump raised before and during the election in a quick enough manner that Canadians thought we were the best party to govern the country.â
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