If Poilievre wins leadership, but fails to pivot to the centre, Quebec Tory MP Godin says he will ‘reflect’ on his own ‘future political life’
The Conservative Party will elect a new leader on Sept. 10, but already one Quebec Conservative MP is warning that the results could cause him to re-evaluate his future with the party. The unity of the Conservative Party after the leadership election will depend largely on the direction the new leader decides to take, says […]
Trump’s Canadian proxy catches a wave
OTTAWA—In the last Conservative debate on Aug. 3, Jean Charest looked like a guy who took the wrong bus to a part of town he didn’t want to set foot in. It was the last best chance for the former Quebec premier, who must have thought he was making an important contribution to the leadership […]
‘Textbook, hot-button politics’ behind Conservative leadership contenders’ attacks on international organizations, say strategists
Following Conservative leadership candidate Pierre Poilievre’s impressive second quarter fundraising haul, experts say it’s “obvious” that attacking international institutions like the World Economic Forum and the World Health Organization gets traction among a “certain crowd in the Conservative movement.” “But not among all Conservatives,” says former Conservative strategist Yan Plante, who was chief of staff […]
Closing in on party totals, Poilievre leadership win would put Tory fundraising juggernaut ‘on steroids,’ says Powers
The Conservative Party’s fundraising juggernaut continues to pull ahead of its main political rivals—raising more money than the Liberals and NDP combined for the past two quarters—and strategists say the numbers from the party’s leadership contest suggest that a win by MP Pierre Poilievre would be like a shot of “steroids” for the Tory apparatus. […]
Future Conservative Party unity hangs on post-victory leadership approach
OTTAWA—In recent days, as the Conservative leadership contest draws to a close, more is being written and said about the need for Conservatives to be unified post race. Those are natural, normal, and smart calls to make. Teams, political or otherwise, don’t win unless they have a working chemistry and buy into a collective game […]
Charest stands best chance of defeating Liberals, but a Poilievre win is feasible
OTTAWA—Jean Charest was at his most eloquent during the recent Conservative debate last week. The only problem, the lights were on, but there was no Tory home. The debate did not attract major television attention and was held at 6 p.m. Eastern Time, pretty much the worst possible slot for widespread coverage. But the whole […]
‘Who’s who’ on the Conservative leadership campaign teams
Team Pierre Poilievre Veteran Conservative strategist Jenni Byrne is a senior adviser on Poilievre’s campaign team. Byrne, who previously served as an adviser to former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper, also founded her own public affairs consultancy firm, Jenni Byrne + Associates, which has been active since February 2020. Jeremy Liedtke serves as Poilievre’s campaign […]
Conservative MPs unsure ‘which Poilievre they will get’ as party leader if he wins leadership
If Pierre Poilievre wins the leadership on Sept. 10, Conservative MPs are unsure if they will get a leader who will moderate his views and make a sincere effort to bring the party together, or one who will “double down” on his campaign rhetoric and his hard-hitting leadership style, say some Conservative MPs and senior […]
While Poilievre, Lewis each pay $50,000 to snub last leadership debate, Charest shows up, but optics weren’t great ‘with the tier-two leadership aspirants,’ says Nanos
Without ever naming his chief rival for the leadership of the Conservative Party, Jean Charest attacked Pierre Poilievre from his opening remarks of the third and final debate of the campaign on Aug. 3, comparing a politician who does not want to debate to “a fish who says he doesn’t want to swim in the […]
Poilievre and the Harper effect
OAKVILLE, ONT.—Former prime minister Stephen Harper recently did a huge favour for every political pundit in the country. During the dog days of summer, when there’s a dearth of news and hence not much for pundits to write or talk about, Harper publicly endorsed Conservative Party leadership candidate Pierre Poilievre. After that bombshell, everyone suddenly […]
