With Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre set to face a leadership review in two days, many of his MPs are publicly voicing support for his direction over the party.
Poilievre is set to face a mandatory leadership review in Calgary at the party’s national convention on Friday following last year’s federal election loss.
According to the party’s constitution, if a leader does not resign after an election loss, Conservative party members are required to vote on the leader’s future.
When asked directly on Wednesday whether Poilievre will get the votes required to stay on as leader, many Conservative MPs on Parliament Hill who quickly stopped to answer gave him the stamp of approval.
“Excellent chances,” Ontario MP Leslyn Lewis answered, while Alberta MP Kelly McCauley said “I’m pretty sure he (will survive) quite comfortably.”
Asked if Poilievre should stay on, McCauley said, “Of course, what a silly question!”
British Columbia MP Bob Zimmer, meanwhile, said Poilievre “will do just fine,” while Saskatchewan MP Randy Hoback said the results “should be good.”
Current national polling continues to show the Conservatives and Liberals within a few points of each other, but a large divide remains when it comes to the popularity of Poilievre and Prime Minister Mark Carney.
According to Nanos Research’s latest tracking numbers released on Jan. 27, the Liberals are leading at 39.2 per cent compared to the Conservatives at 35.2 per cent. But when it comes to preferred prime minister, support for Carney is at 52.8 per cent, while Poilievre lags at 24.8 per cent.
Friday’s leadership vote is the first one held by the Conservatives since 2004, when former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper captured nearly 85 per cent support after the party’s election loss that year.
What do premiers think about Poilievre’s leadership?
Both Conservative and Progressive Conservative premiers, who are in Ottawa for Thursday’s First Ministers’ meeting with Carney, were also asked to weigh in on Poilievre’s political future.
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe is predicting the level of support might not “be as high” as usual, due to what he described as an environment that is “politically charged” around the world.
“I don’t know if the number will be as high as what traditionally leaders have expected or received,” Moe said. “But I think you’ll see a strong mandate for the leadership that Pierre Poilievre has provided.”
When asked what amount of support Poilievre should get, Moe would not say.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who has previously been at odds publicly over Poilievre’s federal election campaign, will be attending his own party’s convention this weekend.
“Good luck at the federal Conservative convention. But that’s going to be up to them to determine if they want to move forward with Pierre Poilievre,” Ford said to reporters.
Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston, who last year said the federal Conservatives needed to do some “soul-searching” after the April election loss, also wouldn’t say whether he thinks Poilievre should stay at the helm of the party.
“It’s not something that I’ve been focused on. I won’t be attending the convention. I’m not a member of the federal party, so I kind of have been focused on my Nova Scotia priorities,” Houston said, later saying that he wishes Poilievre well.
“It’s important for our democracy that we have a strong opposition, so I’m hopeful of what he does. I’m focused on Nova Scotia,” Houston added.
Conservatives set fundraising record
The Conservative Party of Canada, meanwhile, said Wednesday that it set a new Canadian political fundraising record in 2025, raising nearly $48 million through more than 327,000 donations.
“This generosity fuels our movement and helps us prepare to take on the Carney Liberals whenever the next election comes. I will never stop fighting for the millions of people the Liberals left behind,” Poilievre said in a statement.
The Liberal Party released its own annual fundraising numbers last week, saying they broke their own record with $29 million in 2025, which almost doubles what was raised in 2024.
With files from CTV News’ Abigail Bimman
