Conservative convention in Calgary set to reshape party policy as leadership vote looms
Delegates will consider 62 policy changes in Calgary, from crime and immigration to health and public broadcasting, signalling the party’s direction after a fourth electoral loss.
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By Torontoer Staff
Conservative delegates meeting in Calgary later this month will consider 62 proposed changes to the party constitution and policy book, alongside a leadership review for Pierre Poilievre. The convention will not automatically bind future campaign platforms, but adopted policies can codify the party’s priorities and signal where the Conservatives intend to position themselves after a fourth consecutive election defeat.
The package of proposals mixes familiar Poilievre-influenced measures on crime, immigration and health with a handful of more contentious items that have emerged from online activist circles. Party officials and strategists say the outcomes could help define the party’s centre of gravity heading into the next federal cycle.
Key proposals reflecting Poilievre’s influence
Several submissions echo the leader’s priorities on public safety and immigration. Delegates will debate tougher bail conditions, expanded grounds to deport non-citizens convicted of serious crimes, measures targeting intimate partner violence and language that frames lethal force as a reasonable response in some self-defence cases.
On labour and immigration, grassroots members are pushing for a major overhaul of the temporary foreign worker program, backing either its elimination or strict limits on its use, a position Poilievre has already endorsed. Delegates will also consider formal opposition to drug decriminalization and safe supply approaches.
Health-related proposals include a continued call for provincial choices that allow a balance of public and private services. One submission goes further by proposing a reopening of the Canada Health Act to expand provincial insurance models, drawing on examples of mixed systems abroad. Poilievre has not publicly committed to reopening the act, though he has opposed national single-payer approaches for some services.
Online-driven and cultural resolutions
Some resolutions reflect issues amplified on social media rather than broad public concern. One, dubbed the “Jordan Peterson Policy,” would protect professionals from losing accreditation solely for voicing opinions or refusing compelled speech. The policy aligns with Poilievre’s public defence of Peterson’s free-expression rights.
Another contentious resolution calls for Canada to withdraw from the World Health Organization. Poilievre has said he would not pursue withdrawal, but the motion gained traction among online critics of the WHO following the COVID-19 pandemic.
I think there are other examples ... of people responding to things that are a little too online.
Mitch Heimpel, former Conservative staffer
David Coletto, CEO of Abacus Data, said the slate of measures reflects broader cleavages within public opinion that map onto party divides. “We’re seeing in the broader public opinion research these cleavages ... that do exist between Conservative Canada and everyone else that I think is being reflected in some of these resolutions,” he said.
Potential pitfalls for the leader
A small set of resolutions could force awkward choices for Poilievre. One proposal seeks to delete an existing policy that states a Conservative government would not support legislation to regulate abortion. Poilievre has consistently said he would not introduce laws to restrict access to abortion, but delegates framed the deletion as an internal consistency issue tied to the party’s free-vote traditions.
The grassroots found a creative way of putting the issue back on the agenda by framing the existing policy as legitimately inconsistent with other party positions.
Mitch Heimpel
Other proposals could clash with positions Poilievre has previously endorsed. One motion calls on the party to oppose Parliament’s 2021 unanimous ban on a practice broadly described as conversion therapy. Another asks the party to cease government funding for the CBC and Radio-Canada. Poilievre has promised to cut CBC funding while preserving French-language services, a stance that would be complicated by a full defunding resolution.
Tim Powers, former Conservative strategist and chair of Summa Strategies, said the leadership may accept short-term risks from divisive policy adoptions if they deliver immediate political gains. “Any risk generated by those proposals could be worth the political benefit it will produce for him in the short term, because he does need short-term political benefits right now,” Powers said.
What the convention outcome will mean
Policy conventions do not automatically become government platforms, but they shape the party’s public identity and message discipline. With 62 items on the docket, the Calgary meeting offers an opportunity for Conservative members to signal priorities on crime, immigration, health and cultural questions, and to test how closely grassroots sentiment aligns with Poilievre’s leadership.
- 62 policy proposals will be debated by delegates in Calgary
- Proposals range from crime and immigration to health and public broadcasting
- Some measures reflect Poilievre’s priorities, others stem from online activism
- Contested items include abortion policy language, conversion therapy and CBC funding
The convention’s resolutions will give a clearer picture of the party’s posture heading into the next election cycle. Delegates can reshape the party’s policy book and influence messaging, but party leaders will still face the practical choice of which policies to prioritise in a general election campaign.
Pierre PoilievreConservative PartypolicyCalgaryconvention
