OTTAWA -- The Conservative Party has come up short, failing to dethrone the now three-term Liberal Party.
Leader Erin O鈥橳oole conceded defeat in the early hours of Tuesday morning, after the Liberals secured a minority government win.
鈥淥urs is a conservativism that dwells not in the past but learns from it to secure the future,鈥� he said, speaking to supporters at a hockey arena in Oshawa, Ont. 鈥淲e will take stock of what worked and what didn鈥檛 and we will continue to put in the time showing more Canadians that they are welcome in the Conservative Party of Canada.鈥�
As of 1:00 a.m. EDT Tuesday, results showed the Conservatives have been elected or are leading in 121 seats 鈥� making significant gains in the Atlantic Canada region 鈥� but not near the 156 seats Liberals look to have gained so far.
According to the latest numbers, the party did, however, capture the popular vote, as they did in 2019.
O鈥橳oole said Trudeau was hoping for a quick 鈥減ower grab鈥� but instead forced the country back into a political scenario not unlike it was 36 days ago.
鈥淢r. Trudeau thinks Canadians should endure 18 more months of divisive campaigning, so he can try once again to get the election result he wants. We need to heal the divides in Canada not risk worsening them for selfish gain,鈥� he said.
O鈥橳oole himself won his Durham, Ont. seat, and many of his previous shadow cabinet colleagues have kept their seats.
There were high hopes among conservatives across the country when the campaign launched on Aug. 15. Poll after poll showed the Conservatives gaining ground on the incumbent Liberals and, at times, surpassing their lead.
O鈥橳oole sought to capture the support of a more progressive elector, promoting the party鈥檚 housing, child care, and climate change policies, while at the same time reinforcing responsible post-pandemic spending.
He declared himself as pro-choice and an ally of the LGBTQ2+ community, something his predecessor did not do.
However, O鈥橳oole found himself in hot water when he didn鈥檛 distance himself far enough from candidates who posted anti-climate change and anti-vaccination comments online. He also fielded jabs from his opponents for not requiring his candidates to be vaccinated.
He faced another hurdle closer to election day over his muddled response to Alberta Premier Jason Kenney鈥檚 COVID-19 management, even after the provincial leader said he got the response wrong.
鈥淭hroughout this crisis, all the provinces have tried to make the balance between making public health paramount and balancing off the economic needs. All provinces have shifted and adjusted based on various reasons,鈥� O鈥橳oole said on Sept. 16.
鈥淏ut what the provinces have not had is a consistent and reliable partner in Ottawa. Mr. Trudeau fights with people. I will fight for Canadians, and we would never have let the Delta variant get its hold in Canada.鈥�
Another thorn in O鈥橳oole鈥檚 side has been the rise in popularity of the People鈥檚 Party of Canada (PPC) under leader Maxime Bernier. While they haven鈥檛 yet picked up a seat tonight, they have garnered thousands of votes in many races.
鈥淭his is going to be part of the post-mortem that the party does regardless of the what the results are because if you look at extremely Conservative ridings, there was an increase in the PPC vote,鈥� said Jenni Byrne, Conservative strategist and former senior advisor to Prime Minister Stephen Harper on 麻豆影视.
As for O鈥橳oole鈥檚 future, Byrne says it鈥檚 in question.
鈥淚t was a winnable election鈥he Conservatives were leading in the national polls. Unlike even in 2019, this election was a lot more winnable for the Conservatives,鈥� said Byrne.
However, he made no indication he鈥檚 going anywhere in his speech on Tuesday morning.
鈥淚 told [the prime minister] if he thinks he can threaten Canadians with another election in 18 months the Conservative Party will be ready. Whenever that day comes, I will be ready to lead Canada鈥檚 Conservative to victory,鈥� he said.
Former interim Conservative Leader Rona Ambrose said the first step for O鈥橳oole is to meet with his caucus to discuss his leadership in Parliament.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 a question that any leader would have to face if they didn鈥檛 win an election. I鈥檓 sure he鈥檚 extremely disappointed,鈥� she told 麻豆影视.
If the next Parliament is anything like last, the Conservatives likely won鈥檛 be the Liberals鈥� main dancing partner getting bills passed through Parliament. Instead, they鈥檒l be searching for collaboration with the Bloc Quebecois or NDP who look to have picked up 29 and 28 seats, respectively.
