Pierre Poilievre’s strongest protection against reported unrest inside the Conservative caucus may be the vote that was supposed to settle questions about his leadership eight months ago.
The Conservative leader won 87.4% support in a mandatory leadership review at the party’s Calgary convention in January. That result now sits against a different measure of party confidence after CBC News reported Friday that a number of Conservative MPs have soured on Poilievre, while finding no strong appetite inside caucus to actually remove him.
A September Angus Reid Institute survey put the Liberals at 46% nationally among leaning and decided voters, compared with 32% for the Conservatives. Prime Minister Mark Carney registered 61% approval, while Poilievre’s favourability stood at 32%.
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Among people who voted Conservative in 2025, however, the numbers looked substantially different. Angus Reid found 67% were satisfied with Poilievre’s performance since the election, against 28% who said he had not met expectations.
Replacing Poilievre
Conservative MPs do have the formal power to challenge Poilievre. At their first post-election caucus meeting on May 6, 2025, Conservative MPs voted to adopt the leadership-review provisions available under the Parliament of Canada Act.
Under Section 49.5, a written notice signed by at least 20% of caucus members triggers a secret-ballot leadership review. A majority vote to replace the leader would then lead to a second ballot to choose an interim leader.
Conservatives used the same mechanism in February 2022 to remove Erin O’Toole, when 73 caucus members voted to replace him and 45 voted to retain him.
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However, there is no indication that Poilievre currently faces a comparable effort. CBC reported that some MPs privately consider themselves finished with his leadership, but most are unwilling to initiate the process required to remove him.
One concern raised by sources was that attempting to overturn the decision of Conservative members so soon after January’s leadership review could deepen divisions inside the party.
Conservative MP Michael Barrett publicly pointed back to that membership vote when questioned about Poilievre’s future.
“The Conservative membership made a very strong decision this year for Mr. Poilievre to lead our party,” Barrett told CBC.
READ: Poilievre Vows to Stay, But His Party Isn’t So Sure
Conservative changes in Conservatives
The internal discussion comes as Conservative MPs prepare for Parliament’s September 21 return following a two-day caucus retreat in Penticton, British Columbia.
Deputy leader Melissa Lantsman acknowledged this week that the Conservatives are not in the political position they want to be and said the party would make changes to its approach this fall.
Poilievre used his opening caucus address to emphasize affordability, economic policy, and opposition to US tariffs while telling MPs that the party’s duty was to put the country ahead of partisan considerations.
The immediate leadership question is therefore narrower than the caucus discontent suggests.
Poilievre is confronting MPs frustrated by the party’s national position, but those MPs would have to move against a leader who received 87.4% support from Conservative delegates only months ago and who still retains majority satisfaction among Conservative voters.
For now, the available evidence points to pressure for a change in Conservative strategy without an organized effort to change the Conservative leader.
