New Conservative leader Poilievre drops in on Quebec caucus before meeting with MPs, senators
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre visited members of the party's Quebec caucus Monday after nearly sweeping the province in a landslide victory over its former Premier, Jean Charest.
Many of the 10 Quebec MPs endorsed Charest in the contest, but Saturday's leadership results revealed Poilievre won almost all of the 78 ridings.
"Having a surprise visit of a leader on day one -- what a great message was sent to everybody. He listened to us very carefully for a full half an hour," said longtime Quebec MP Gerard Deltell.
"I think that was a clear and very positive signal sent by the leader that we work more than ever as a team."
Poilievre also met with the rest of the Conservative national caucus Monday morning, including MPs and senators.
Poilievre and his wife, Anaida, entered the meeting room Monday to a standing ovation. They brought their son, Cruz, and sang Happy Birthday and cut a cake to mark his first birthday.
Members of the campaign team who are helping assist with Poilievre's transition into the Opposition leader's office were milling about the room, including senior adviser Jenni Byrne, whose skills as an organizer are widely being credited for helping deliver the resounding victory.
In his inaugural speech as party leader Poilievre challenged Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to commit to not raising taxes -- including the national carbon price, which the new Tory leader continues to call a tax.
"Canadians are hurting and it is our job to transform that hurt into hope, and that is my mission," he told the room, which erupted into applause.
Poilievre revisited some of the anecdotes he often shared with crowds on the campaign trail about seniors and workers barely making ends meet, and being unable to afford to put gas in their vehicles.
"I want every single Canadian to have the opportunity that I had: to come from modest beginnings but to work hard every day, to make sacrifices, to be responsible and to have all of those virtues pay off as they realize their dreams in their country -- a country with a small government and big citizens."
Many Conservatives feel the decisive first-ballot victory is the recipe for unity the party has lacked for the past several years.
Longtime MP Michelle Rempel Garner -- who endorsed Patrick Brown in the race, before his ouster -- said Poilievre's victory signals an end to the "war of succession" that has plagued the party since losing power to the Liberals in 2015.
Ed Fast, a representative from British Columbia who endorsed Charest, said he expects to have a "constructive relationship" with the new leader, but doesn't plan to adopt Poilievre's position that Bank of Governor Tiff Macklem should be fired over Canada's inflation rate.
Fast stepped down as the party's finance critic during the race, telling reporters that stance was irresponsible. Fast ruffled some feathers inside the caucus, where most of the party's 119 MPs had endorsed Poilievre.
"I will be giving advice to Mr. Poilievre and I'll highlight the independence of the Central Bank and how important that is, as one of our key institutions," Fast said.
That's what it means to be part of a political family, he added.
"We do have differences of opinion from time to time, we'll have arguments, we resolve them as a family and we get on with the business of hopefully replacing Justin Trudeau's failed government."
On Poilievre's second official day as leader he's already working to figure out who will be in his inner circle. He's already dismissed the head of the Conservative Fund, who was appointed under former leader Erin O'Toole.
Ontario MP John Brassard, the party's House leader under interim leader Candice Bergen, said Monday he's spoken with Poilievre, who plans to put a new leadership team in place.
"I expect that he's going to make that announcement soon."
Poilievre will also need to determine who fills out the ranks of his critic portfolios.
His former rival Leslyn Lewis, who is popular among the party's social conservative wing, said she believes Poilievre will be able to unite the party's various factions.
"I think that he understands that every part of the coalition needs to be represented," she said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2022.
IN DEPTH
Jagmeet Singh pulls NDP out of deal with Trudeau Liberals, takes aim at Poilievre Conservatives
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has pulled his party out of the supply-and-confidence agreement that had been helping keep Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's minority Liberals in power.
'Not the result we wanted': Trudeau responds after surprise Conservative byelection win in Liberal stronghold
Conservative candidate Don Stewart winning the closely-watched Toronto-St. Paul's federal byelection, and delivering a stunning upset to Justin Trudeau's candidate Leslie Church in the long-time Liberal riding, has sent political shockwaves through both parties.
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NDP needs to decide whether 4 million Canadians deserve dental care: minister
Procurement Minister and newly appointed Quebec lieutenant Jean-Yves Duclos is warning the NDP that the dental care program it helped put into place will be in jeopardy if it pulls its support from the governing Liberals.
2 suspended from U.S. college swim team after report of slur scratched onto student's body
At least two students at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania have been suspended from the swim team after a report that a racial slur was scratched onto a student's body, officials said.
The City of Calgary ended water restrictions for the city at a Sunday morning update.
Myths busted and lessons learned: John Vennavally-Rao on his surgery to reverse his ostomy
Twenty-seven year Â鶹´«Ã½ reporter and anchor John Vennavally-Rao shares his story of what it was like to have an ostomy bag as part of his health-care battle. 'I’m grateful for what it did to extend my life,' he writes in a personal column for CTVNews.ca.
Kate, the Princess of Wales, makes first public appearance after cancer treatment
Kate, the Princess of Wales, made her first public appearance Sunday since she announced she had completed chemotherapy and would return to some public duties.
'Hubris and greed': Takeaways from the first week of U.S. Coast Guard inquiry into the Titan submersible disaster
More than a year after the Titan submersible imploded, killing all five voyagers on board, the story of the ill-fated expedition to the Titanic has taken the form of a modern-day Greek tragedy overflowing with mortal pride and heedlessness.
What is the U.S. Electoral College? America's path to the presidency, explained
In less than two months, Americans will go to the polls to choose their next president. But the process that translates those millions of votes into one seat in the Oval Office is much more complicated than a straight tally.
Trump's goal of mass deportations fell short. But he has new plans for a second term
Donald Trump has long pledged to deport millions of people, but he's bringing more specifics to his current bid for the White House: invoking wartime powers, relying on like-minded governors and using the military.
A Nova Scotian YouTuber has launched a mini-truck bookmobile.
Local Spotlight
Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.
Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.
An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.
They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.
A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.
Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.
The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.
It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.