Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is holding his first caucus meeting since the election and preliminary comments indicate a review of the campaign team is on the agenda.
In preliminary comments, Conservative members were hopeful about the gains the party made during the election but indicated a review of what went wrong would be a part of the meeting.
Ahead of the meeting, Poilievre spoke with reporters, saying the election has resulted in a “very powerful and re-energized” party.
“Obviously, we didn’t come out on top, and that’s disappointing, but there is a lot to be thankful for. We’ve massively expanded our party, 2.3 million votes, 25 more seats, big gains in Ontario, British Columbia, some more modest gains in Quebec,” Poilievre said. “A very powerful and re-energized conservative coalition led by young people, workers, new immigrants, entrepreneurs, and big breakthroughs in manufacturing communities across the country.”
He said the Conservatives led the debate in Canada on their policies, including the carbon tax, inflation, housing costs, crime, and drugs, but acknowledged there was more to do. He said the Conservatives will have to grow their team and support and “build on” their strengths.
“We have a path back into parliament to allow me to hold the government to account, continue to lead on the same files so that we can pursue our mission, which is to give people back control their lives, to have a chance to work hard, earn a great life, live in an affordable home on a safe street, make this a country where hard work is actually rewarded again,” said Poilievre. “That was the mission that I set out to when I started my leadership campaign. Back in 2022, it’s the mission that we stay focused on today.”
During a video promoting his plan to return to parliament in an Alberta by-election, Poilievre said he had some learning and growing to do. When asked how he intended to do this, he noted that the “election map” has changed dramatically since the previous elections.
“If you told me that one that we would get 41 per cent of the vote a couple of years ago, I would have said, ‘wow, that’s ambitious’,” he told reporters. “But if you told me that we would get 41 per cent of the vote and still not win, I would have said, you’re crazy.”
Poilievre said after this election it’s looking more “like a two-party map,” where getting 41% of the vote is simply not enough to form government.
“So we have to ask ourselves, how do we first keep the enormous number of eight million people who voted for us? That was almost two and a half million more than the previous time, but then add another roughly million votes that will allow us to get over the finish line, and that’s something we’re going to be (discussing.)
Poilievre said Conservatives will have to spend the summer listening carefully to people in their communities and find out who is most likely to join the “growing” conservative movement to get Conservatives “over the finish line.”
When asked if Conservatives would keep Jenni Byrne as their campaign director, multiple MPs lauded the work she did, citing the expansion of Conservative support and the caucus. Although some indicated that the campaign team would be “one of the things” that would be discussed at the caucus meeting.
Conservative MP-elect Andrew Scheer said the party would analyze the election results “with a fine-tooth comb” and “an objective lens.”
“If you look at the new people that Pierre Poilievre has attracted into the conservative movement, some people who not only say they’ve never voted conservative before, but never voted, and so we’re incredibly encouraged by that,” Scheer said.
Scheer was also asked about his thoughts on a growing Western separatist sentiment in primarily Alberta, he said separatist grievances were understandable and the result of a fourth consecutive Liberal victory.
“Any time liberals are in power, we have national unity issues. And I understand, I come from Saskatchewan, I understand why there’s frustration in Western Canada when there’s a federal government that imposes a no new pipeline law, carbon tax that nobody wanted, that nobody asked for, that didn’t work and took them 10 years to finally listen to Canadians and cancel,” he said.
Michael Barrett, the former ethics critic and re-elected Conservative MP, also gave his advice to new MPs elected under the Conservative banner.
“We campaigned under the leadership of Pierre Poilievre, who has made it his mission to put Canadians first to restore affordability. This is what we heard at the doors. And so remember who sent them here and why they were sent here,” Barrett said.
Though tight-lipped about the meeting details, he said the Conservatives will address what went wrong and how to win next time, as those who supported expect.