After his defeat, Pierre Poilievre finally has to go places he’s been avoiding

I don’t love this week’s hed, but I understand what the headline writer was trying to accomplish.

My Star election night column (see prior post “Pierre Poilievre’s superpower led to Conservative gains this election. Here’s what he has to do next” Apr 30-25) was a glass half-full take, and I suppose today’s comes from the glass half-empty perspective. I raise a few difficult topics, including the unnecessary bun fight and the recent appointment of an interim Leader in the House of Commons. Former CPC president Rob Batherson told my Ottawa bureau colleague Raisa Patel that “it’s not as if we’re building the Conservative party’s brand long-term over who occupies that role.” That’s true, of course, but as with the decision to wear solid vs. striped ties, or which dark custom t-shirt telegraphs that appropriate campaign message of the week, no detail has been overlooked to date.

If every decision of the last twenty-four months was intentional, and that’s more of a compliment than a knock, party brass can’t now pretend that the next series of key choices are irrelevant. Particularly if they don’t put meat on the bones of the election night “lessons learned” narrative during what is expected to be Prime Minister Mark Carney’s post-election Honeymoon period.

Mr. Batherson just put his name forward in a tough riding, unlike some of us, and his view shouldn’t be discounted. But if this is going to be the summer of “listening,” the advice must also include things that folks may not want to hear.

If you want to see how this week’s Star column ends, buy a print copy, use your Apple News, or subscribe to The Star online via my special discount code: www.thestar.com/informed.

As the dust settled on election night, things immediately got off on the wrong foot for the defeated Conservative Party.

Older voters had instructed Tory candidates that they wanted to see a “more conciliatory tone,” according to Calgary Centre MP Greg McLean, yet Bowmanville–Oshawa North MP Jamil Jivani weaponized what should have been a perfunctory election-night interview to settle personal scores with Ontario Premier Doug Ford. It’s true that certain provincial leadership teams haven’t had a constructive past couple of years with their federal cousins, but no future votes will be gained airing that dirty laundry in public.

As with picking online fights with former party leaders, just because you’ve got a valid point doesn’t mean you should share it far and wide.

Conservatives have plenty of bright spots to build upon, recognizing that Pierre Poilievre’s “next challenge is to grow the tent.” That’s self-evident, perhaps, but it’ll be easier said than done with Prime Minister Mark Carney busy trying to reshape the Liberal Party.

Last week’s Conservative caucus meeting was the first opportunity for incoming and defeated MPs to compare notes on what they’d heard at the doorsteps. Quebec MP Bernard Généreux said a “different approach” was warranted “to do even better next time.”

The first chance for that different approach came with the appointment of the party’s interim Opposition leader. What better way to demonstrate the depth and diversity within the Conservative caucus than to showcase the appealing breadth of the team?

I had every expectation that Tory “heroine” Melissa Lantsman, Poilievre’s co-deputy leader, would get the nod. She had the best result of any Conservative candidate in Ontario, securing more than 66 per cent of the vote in Thornhill. Even Ford, who is dearly loved in his Etobicoke riding, didn’t break the 60 per cent threshold in the recent provincial race.

For the Conservative tent to grow, the party must win the trust of more women, both urban and suburban. Andrew Scheer has many fine qualities, but the Tories have already locked up the “white guy from Saskatchewan” vote. According to the Star’s reporting: “Veteran Conservatives say (Scheer) was a calculated choice, weighing the former leader’s resume against concerns that choosing a rising star within caucus could undermine Poilievre, even if a fresh face would indicate the party was serious about broadening its appeal.”

Surely one of the “lessons learned” from the recent campaign is that adding to the party’s appeal telegraphs a quiet confidence that doesn’t undercut Poilievre’s personal standing with voters or the media.

Hit the link to read the rest of the piece.

MRM

(this post is an Opinion Piece)