Poilievre to Face Leadership Review After Election Loss

PCI

Poilievre was expected to lead the Conservatives to a majority government. (File Photo By John Lehmann; Pierre Poilievre/Facebook)

Pierre Poilievre will face a mandatory leadership review in January after the Conservative Party failed to form government in the recent federal election. The review will take place in Calgary, according to sources cited by CBC News. The Globe and Mail was the first to report the news.

Under the party’s rules, a leadership review is required if a leader does not step down after losing an election. Members will vote on whether Poilievre should stay on or if it’s time for new leadership.

Poilievre was expected to lead the Conservatives to a majority government. Polls had shown the party with a strong lead for over a year, and public support for then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was fading. But in the end, the Conservatives won just 144 seats—short of the 170 needed to govern.

Adding to the surprise, Poilievre lost his riding of Carleton, which he had held since 2004, by more than 4,000 votes. He is now planning a return to Parliament by running in Alberta’s Battle River–Crowfoot, one of the safest Conservative ridings, where MP Damien Kurek has offered to step aside.

Poilievre did manage to grow the Conservative vote share and connect with new groups of voters. However, the party’s momentum shifted after a trade dispute with the U.S. and Trudeau’s sudden resignation, which helped the Liberals regroup and gain support late in the race.

The January leadership review will be a key moment for Poilievre and the party. Members will decide whether to give him another chance or take a new direction moving forward.