Conservative convention speeches to spotlight MPs who flipped ridings under leader Poilievre

CALGARY — While Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre awaits his fate from delegates in the party’s heartland, it will be his newest additions to caucus that will be given the spotlight at convention.

An expected list of speakers for the party’s convention in Calgary starting Thursday night , which was shared with National Post ahead of the event’s official start, show Conservatives have chosen to highlight members of Parliament from some of the ridings it captured during last year’s election. The speakers will be a show of what the party achieved under Poilievre as delegates prepare to vote on whether to keep him as leader. 

Among the names is Carol Anstey, who flipped a seat in Newfoundland and Labrador from the Liberals in the last election, along with Roman Baber who did the same in a Toronto riding, a rare win for the party.

Sandra Cobena and Costas Menegakis, who each captured seats in Ontario’s must-win Greater Toronto Area, were also set to take the stage over the three-day convention, with Poilievre set to speak on Friday night.

Other names include Aaron Gunn and Tamara Kronis, Conservative MPs in seats the party picked up on Vancouver Island at the expense of the federal New Democrats.

It is wins like these that Poilievre and his closest supporters have been emphasizing to delegates ahead of the convention.

It comes as some doubts have set in with some in the party about his ability to capture victory whenever the next election rolls around, with recent public opinion polls suggesting Prime Minister Mark Carney still enjoys a solid favourability rating among Canadians over the Conservatives with concerns about U.S. President Donald Trump remaining in the forefront of many minds.

“Poilievre is a fighter,” said John Periversoff, a delegate from London West in town for the convention.

Periversoff recently met the Conservative leader at an event held in a neighbouring riding, one of the many Poilievre has been holding in the lead up to his leadership vote. Poilievre will deliver a speech on Friday night, with voting to follow.

Periversoff said he like the fact that Poilievre seems to be “actively listening” to those he speaks with, something that supporters have long said draws them to Poilievre, leading to crowds packing rallies across the country to see him since the party’s leadership race held back in 2022.

It is connections like these that Poilievre is now counting on to deliver him a mandate to carry on as party leader in a review vote set for Friday, a task party faithful express confidence he will be able to meet. The party reported that more than 2,500 delegates were in attendance.

Varinder Sidhu, among those delegates at the convention, said he was on the fence about his vote for Poilievre in the leadership review because he doesn’t think he can win the next election.

Sidhu said that even after a “huge event” held by the Conservatives during last year’s election, he had a “gut feeling” that Poilievre couldn’t win because the race was dominated by Trump. Still, Sidhu said he would still vote Conservative in the next election and doesn’t think there’s a viable candidate to replace Poilievre.

“If the election is this year, then I guess probably you just stick with him, right?” said Sidhu.

While the Conservatives closest to Poilievre have declined to divulge specifics about thresholds for the vote, several factors appear to be working in his favour, one of which is that no one has organized against him. He has also taken time to meet with delegates and listen to those involved in the last election.

Given Poilievre captured 68 per cent of party member’s vote in his whopping first-ballot victory when he was first elected leader in 2022, his popularity has remained consistent among the party’s base.

On Thursday, delegates walking around the convention sported “Yes to Pierre” pins.

Another figure looming over the leadership review is what former prime minister Stephen Harper received back when the party held its last vote of this kind following the 2004 election loss, where Harper received 84 per cent.

Sixteen-year-old Nicolas Gaglia, who is not old enough to have voted last election, came to Calgary as a delegate for Mississauga—Lakeshore where he planned to vote in support of Poilievre, citing his message around the future and jobs.

“He talks a lot about hope.”

While the party under Poilievre have made a point to emphasize its ability to attract more young people to the party, delegate Karen Vishloff sported a pin that spoke to the challenges with older voters.

Wearing a “boomers for Pierre” pin, which she said came from another riding, Vishloff, a delegate from Saskatchewan suggested the task of convincing more Canadians 55 and older, a cohort that solidly voted for Carney in the last election, was no easy endeavor.

“I’m hoping (Poilievre) can change how they see the Liberals. I’m hoping that he can make them see that change is good and not something to be afraid of.”

Other names on the convention speaker’s list includes favourites among the party’s base, such as Melissa Lantsman, one of Poilievre’s deputy leaders as well as Leslyn Lewis, who twice ran for party leadership herself and still enjoys considerable favour among the party base, including its well-organized social conservative coalition.

Rick Perkins, who lost his Nova Scotia riding in last vote, was also set to take the stage, as was Damien Kurek, the former MP from Alberta who stepped aside to allow Poilievre to run in a safe Conservative seat in rural Alberta, after Poilievre lost his longtime Ottawa-area seat in last year’s election, was also set to speak.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith was also set to address party members.

Lionel Loganathan, who ran and lost for the Conservatives in the last election, said on Thursday that he had spoken to “dozens of delegates” across different ridings who were heading to convention excited and not so much focused on the last election, but looking to the next possible one. 

He said the party’s national council had taken steps to address the concerns around candidate nominations and last-minute appointments that emerged as an issue during and after that race.

“That’s in the past now,” he said. “We think there’s going to be an election sooner rather than later, and I think we’re focused on preparing for that.”

National Post

staylor@postmedia.com

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