Conservative members to vote Friday on Poilievre’s leadership review
Thousands of Conservative delegates will decide Friday night whether Pierre Poilievre remains leader after April’s election loss. The outcome will shape the party’s direction ahead of the next campaign.
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By Torontoer Staff
On Friday night thousands of Conservative Party members will vote on whether Pierre Poilievre should remain leader after the party failed to win the April federal election. The party constitution requires a leadership review after an electoral defeat, and Mr. Poilievre is widely expected to clear the simple majority needed to keep the job.
Attention at the Calgary convention is not only on whether he survives the vote, but on the size of his mandate and what it signals about the party’s next steps. Delegates will also debate policy motions and proposed constitutional changes that could reshape internal operations.
Context and precedent
The last two Conservative leaders who lost federal elections, Andrew Scheer and Erin O’Toole, left leadership before facing a party-wide review. Stephen Harper did face members after his 2004 defeat and won 84 per cent support. The circumstances for Mr. Poilievre differ: the Conservatives led in polls in the months before the 2025 campaign, but the contest shifted toward leadership competence amid an international tariff dispute, and Mr. Poilievre lost his seat on election night.
Mr. Poilievre later won a by-election in the safe Alberta riding of Battle River–Crowfoot. Supporters say he expanded the party’s base during his leadership and increased the party’s share of the popular vote, while critics point to missed opportunities in the campaign.
How delegates were assembled
Each riding can send up to 10 elected delegates, plus the riding president and the candidate of record. Organisers expect upward of 2,500 delegates in Calgary. Campaign strategists and some MPs worked to ensure a large cohort of allied delegates attend.
That’s probably the minimum number he can earn and keep his critics relatively quiet in the near term. Anything less, there are chinks in the armour.
Regan Watts, senior aide to former finance minister Jim Flaherty
The convention will also reflect changes in how political engagement happens. For the first time, the party is accrediting online content creators alongside traditional media. Access will be restricted in some sessions, and media and creators will face the same limits during early policy debates, which is standard practice at national conventions.
Policy debates and internal reforms
Delegates will debate several high-profile resolutions, including the party’s abortion policy and rules on conversion therapy. Those debates can become flashpoints and have affected national campaigns in the past. The party will also consider amendments to its constitution that would change internal governance, and there will be a contested election for the national council.
- Leadership review vote on Friday night
- Policy debates on abortion and conversion therapy
- Proposed constitutional amendments to increase internal control
- Election for the party’s national council
It’s the floor game. Let everyone have their say in the breakout rooms but ensure only issues with high unanimity go on from there to the convention floor.
Ian Brodie, who helped run Stephen Harper’s 2005 leadership-review vote
Poilievre’s pitch and strategy
Mr. Poilievre will deliver a major address ahead of the vote that is expected to recap his record as leader and lay out a plan for winning the next general election. He will highlight gains in vote share, seats won in new areas, and how he shifted national conversations on issues such as the consumer carbon price and responses to the toxic drug crisis.
I think Conservatives are wise and understanding of the fact progress has been made and the steps he is taking to turn that into government the next time around.
Sebastian Skamski, former Poilievre media relations lead
Some close to Mr. Poilievre privately suggest he could win as much as 90 per cent of the vote, while others expect a lower figure. One senior aide put an 80 per cent threshold forward as the minimum likely to quiet short-term critics.
Opposition reaction and wider politics
Liberal strategists are watching the resolutions closely and argue the focus on base issues will make it harder for Mr. Poilievre to broaden his appeal before the next campaign. Alex Kohut, who worked on research and advertising for the Liberals, said the party appears to be prioritising short-term survival over positioning for a future election.
The Liberals won 169 seats in April to the Conservatives’ 144. Two Conservative MPs have since crossed the floor to the governing party, bringing the Liberals within one seat of a majority. Public opinion polling after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s recent international travel shows some movement toward the Liberals on who Canadians prefer as prime minister.
Several notable provincial conservatives will be absent from Calgary, including Ontario’s Doug Ford, who scheduled his party’s convention the same weekend, and Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston. Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said the timing is politically charged and suggested the review number may not match past expectations, though he predicted a strong mandate for Mr. Poilievre. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is expected to speak at the convention.
I don’t know if the number will be as high as what you know, traditionally, leaders have expected or received, but I think you’ll see a strong mandate for the leadership that Pierre Poilievre has provided.
Scott Moe, Saskatchewan premier
How delegates vote will shape immediate party governance and signal whether the Conservatives will prioritise consolidating their base or moving to the centre ahead of the next federal election. The review result and follow-up decisions on policy and constitutional changes will set the party’s course for the months ahead.
Pierre PoilievreConservative Partyfederal politicsleadership reviewCalgary convention
