First the win, now the work: What Pierre Poilievre has to do next as new Tory leader
Pierre Poilievre is waking up today as the new leader of the Conservative party, coming off a landslide win.
Before he can take time to enjoy the victory, he has a list of things to do.
The House of Commons is set to resume sitting in nine days, meaning Poilievre and his inner circle have to decide who will fill the party's critic roles.
Poilievre has no shortage of names to pick from, given that 62 out of the party's 118 members of Parliament chose to back him in the leadership campaign.
He must also decide where to place the MPs who were former leadership rivals: Scott Aitchison and Leslyn Lewis.
The Conservative caucus is also expected to meet on Monday, where Poilievre and the MPs he leads -- including those who did not back him in the contest -- will hammer out their priorities for the fall.
Saturday's leadership election results show that Poilievre didn't just win big, but really big.
A detailed breakdown of the results shows he won nearly all of the country's 338 ridings, including most of the ones in Quebec.
That would be a disappointment to the province's former premier Jean Charest, who was Poilievre's main rival in the race.
Charest announced in a video Sunday morning that he plans on returning to the private sector, adding it's time to unite behind a new leader.
"I will continue to be active within the party," he said. "I will continue to be a member of the party and I will continue to fight for the ideas that I put forward."
Those ideas included championing the rule of law when it came to last winter's so-called truckers' convoy that shut down parts of downtown Ottawa for weeks. During the race, Charest had criticized Poilievre for embracing the protest, saying he can't be taken seriously as a lawmaker because he supported an illegal blockade.
In an opinion piece published Sunday in the National Post, former campaign co-chair Mike Coates said Charest will not run in the next federal election and poured water on the idea those on his leadership campaign are at all interested in forming their own party after losing to Poilievre.
Poilievre's support for the truckers' convoy had worried some about his planned direction for the party, prompting speculation that his victory could see centrists and progressives in the party seek another option.
"The membership has spoken," Coates wrote. "It is time for partisans to do what we do best: Unite."
Another candidate reckoning with Saturday's results is Lewis. She earned only about nine per cent of support this time after blowing past expectations for many party members with her strong third-place showing in the 2020 leadership contest.
She ran as a social conservative and positioned herself as the only competitor in the race who was willing to introduce policies around abortion, pledging to ban so-called sex selective abortions.
Anti-abortion organization Campaign Life Coalition is now calling on Poilievre to pick Lewis to serve in one of his senior critic roles.
It said doing so would show respect to the party's social conservative wing.
Poilievre made a point to reach out to Lewis's and Charest's supporters, as well as those who backed Aitchison and former Ontario legislator Roman Baber, in his victory speech.
"I open my arms to you," he said.
Those who took the stage on Saturday, including outgoing interim leader Candice Bergen, spoke of the need for party unity.
Poilievre's first-ballot victory with nearly 70 per cent of support will be seen by many in the party as a good first step.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept, 11, 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鈥檚 three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party鈥檚 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鈥檛 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
Canadians across the country mark Remembrance Day
Today Canadians will remember and honour the sacrifice of men and women in uniform who gave their lives in service of the country's values and principles.
Trump on Day 1: Begin deportation push, pardon Jan. 6 rioters and make his criminal cases vanish
Donald Trump has said he wouldn't be a dictator 鈥 'except for Day 1.' According to his own statements, he's got a lot to do on that first day in the White House.
'I was called;' Murray Sinclair's life and legacy honoured at emotional memorial
Applause erupted over and over at the Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg Sunday as the son of Murray Sinclair, a former judge, senator and chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission into residential schools, spoke about his father.
Why brain aging can vary dramatically between people
Researchers are uncovering deeper insights into how the human brain ages and what factors may be tied to healthier cognitive aging, including exercising, avoiding tobacco, speaking a second language or even playing a musical instrument.
The union representing some 1,200 dockworkers at the Port of Montreal has overwhelmingly rejected a deal with their employers association.
Children's book by chef Jamie Oliver withdrawn after criticism from Indigenous Australians
A children's book written by British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has been withdrawn from sale after it was criticized for causing offense to Indigenous Australians.
A man who was critically injured in a police-involved shooting in Hamilton late Sunday afternoon has died in hospital, says the province鈥檚 police watchdog.
opinion How to transition from renting to owning a home in Canada
In his column for CTVNews.ca, personal finance contributor Christopher Liew offers a step-by-step guide on how to make the shift from renting to becoming a homeowner, and what you can start doing today to help the process go smoother.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced voters in Cloverdale鈥擫angley City will pick their next member of Parliament on Dec. 16.
Local Spotlight
Should Toronto tear up its bike lanes to improve traffic flow? Critics say it's not so simple
A congestion crisis, a traffic nightmare, or unrelenting gridlock -- whatever you call it, most agree that Toronto has a congestion problem. To alleviate some of the gridlock, the Ontario government has announced it plans to remove bike lanes from three major roadways.
For the second year in a row, the 鈥楪ift-a-Family鈥 campaign is hoping to make the holidays happier for children and families in need throughout Barrie.
Some of the most prolific photographers behind CTV Skywatch Pics of the Day use the medium for fun, therapy, and connection.
A young family from Codroy Valley, N.L., is happy to be on land and resting with their newborn daughter, Miley, after an overwhelming, yet exciting experience at sea.
As Connor Nijsse prepared to remove some old drywall during his garage renovation, he feared the worst.
A group of women in Chester, N.S., has been busy on the weekends making quilts 鈥 not for themselves, but for those in need.
A Vancouver artist whose streetside singing led to a chance encounter with one of the world's biggest musicians is encouraging aspiring performers to try their hand at busking.
Ten-thousand hand-knit poppies were taken from the Sanctuary Arts Centre and displayed on the fence surrounding the Dartmouth Cenotaph on Monday.
A Vancouver man is saying goodbye to his nine-to-five and embarking on a road trip from the Canadian Arctic to Antarctica.