Poilievre set to speak to Conservatives in Calgary, turning the page on a tough year for the party

CALGARY — Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre will speak to party faithful on Friday evening in Calgary ahead of a leadership review that will decide his future .

Poilievre will not only be trying to convince party members to cast a ballot in favour of keeping him on as leader as the party, but also turning the page on a difficult year for the party.

A year ago, after the resignation of former prime minister Justin Trudeau, the Conservative party saw its massive polling lead crumble in the face of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s ascension as the new Liberal leader. In the subsequent April federal election, the party lost handily to Carney, while Poilievre lost his Ottawa-area seat, forcing him to run in an August byelection in rural Alberta.

The emergence of an emboldened U.S President Donald Trump has given the Conservatives a strategic conundrum, pushing voters to the Liberals and away from the NDP , which has traditionally helped Poilievre’s party by splitting the progressive vote. Poilievre has received a wide assortment of advice from party operatives and pundits that ranges from leaning into the anti-Trump sentiment among the Canadian electorate, to continuing to focus on domestic affordability issues that favour the Conservatives.

Poilievre will be faced with the dual tasks of rallying support from his Conservative base, while also assuring his voters that he has a plan to take on Carney in the next election.

Poilievre is set to speak at 8:30 p.m. ET.

More to come.

National Post

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