The Conservatives are gathered in Penticton today for a caucus retreat ahead of Parliament’s return next week. Pierre Poilievre delivered a speech to caucus laying out his vision for what they need to focus on in the upcoming session.
Perhaps reflecting on former PM Stephen Harper being at current PM Mark Carney’s investment summit, he laid out one clear line.
“Our duty is country before party, now and always. As Canadian patriots, we must reflect on the job we have as loyal Opposition in these challenging times,” Poilievre said.
He talked about the difficulties Canadians are having making ends meet. The ongoing problems that have not disappeared just because Donald Trump and Mark Carney fighting dominates the headlines.
That’s such an important point and one we talk about in the Full Comment Podcast this week.
Poilievre still fares well with the voting public on dealing with issues like affordability and the cost of living, crime, immigration, etc. The problem for him and his party is that when Trump roars, so many Canadians scurry to the safety of Mark Carney and the Liberals.
This week my guests were Ian Brodie, the man who was Stephen Harper’s first chief of staff and who helped craft the winning message for the 2005-06 election campaign after the defeat of 2004. Ginny Roth is a partner at Crestview Strategies, she advised Poilievre during his 2022 leadership campaign and has worked on many federal and provincial campaigns.
We discussed what the Conservatives can and should be doing now when everything seems to be going against them.
You can also listen to the podcast on Apple, Amazon, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcast.
From the official show notes:
It’s a tough time to be a federal Tory. The polls are demoralizing. Some MPs are quitting and some are going rogue. And the worse things get for Canada, the more voters seem to support the Liberals. As Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre prepares for a caucus retreat this week, Brian spoke with Ian Brodie, former chief of staff to Stephen Harper, and Ginny Roth, who helped run Poilievre’s leadership campaign. They offer their ideas on how Poilievre can reposition himself in this weird, new era of jingoistic anti-American nationalism that Prime Minister Mark Carney has boosted into a winning brand. And, just as importantly, how he can reinvigorate his party and reassert the control he once commanded over his caucus — before his problems get bigger. (Recorded September 10, 2026)
Poilievre’s message to his MPs…
Pierre had his own message to Conservative MPs ahead of the caucus retreat.
Poilievre and team might want to focus more narrowly on who they could win over by an appeal to reason.
I would not recommend that they waste much time of the demographic I live among - retired civil servants. Insulated from most hardships. They have Trump Derangement Syndrome on steroids. They know very little about what Trump is or isn't really doing and the Liberals must find it embarrassingly easy to take advantage of them.
Young people who will never be able to afford what their parents had if Liberal policies continue might be a good target.
When their parents were the same age as they are, government changed hands more often. An undefeated Justin Trudeau (!) would have been unthinkable.
This happened because the balance is tipping in favour of those who depend on government for income, against those who produce goods and services in the regular market. It strangles prosperity.
Somebody has to point out to Pierre that politics is not a debating society but a blood sport.