Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre cleared his mandatory leadership review Friday night with 87.4% delegate support, surpassing the benchmark set by former Prime Minister Stephen Harper and cementing his control over the party.
The result exceeded Harper’s 84% approval in his 2005 leadership review, which also followed an election loss to the Liberals. Delegates cast 2,558 ballots with 95% turnout, the Conservative Party confirmed.
Poilievre delivered a nearly 50-minute campaign-style address before the vote, striking a notably different tone from his previous rhetoric. He emphasized optimism and Canadian greatness while avoiding his signature phrase that “Canada is broken.”
“Only Canadians could carve the world’s best country out of a big, cold, vast land because we never give up,” Poilievre told the crowd. “We never back down.”
The speech blamed a decade of Liberal governance for rising separatist sentiment but avoided mentioning US President Donald Trump by name, though Poilievre called Trump’s tariffs “unfair and unresolved.”
Conservative campaign manager Steve Outhouse told reporters an early federal election remains possible this year, suggesting Prime Minister Mark Carney may capitalize on momentum from his World Economic Forum speech in Davos.
Party insiders considered 84% the threshold Poilievre needed to quiet internal critics. “I didn’t think anybody would beat Stephen Harper,” former deputy Conservative leader Lisa Raitt said. “He has an iron grip on the party.”
The vote followed months of internal tensions after Poilievre failed to defeat the Liberals despite leading in polls throughout the pre-election period. Two Conservative MPs have since crossed the floor to join Carney’s caucus, bringing the minority Liberal government within one seat of a majority.
Calgary delegate Albert Francescut noted Poilievre appeared to soften his typically critical stance. “I think he’s trying to change his persona a little bit,” Francescut told The Globe and Mail. “Here’s what we’re going to do in the future, rather than everything’s wrong.”
Outhouse said Poilievre plans to travel across Canada, holding town halls to expand the party’s appeal beyond its base.
Read: Poilievre Maintains Base Support Despite Negative Ratings as Leadership Vote Looms
While Poilievre secured strong support from party members, recent polling shows his favorability ratings remain negative outside the Conservative base, with particular weakness among swing voters critical to electoral success.
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