Poilievre swept the contest with 68.15 per cent of the vote. Former Quebec premier Jean Charest, who came in second, only got 16.07 per cent
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Pierre Poilievre is the new leader of the Conservative Party of Canada.
Poilievre, 43, was declared victorious during the Conservatives’ big reveal at the Shaw Centre in Ottawa on Saturday evening after a lengthy and divisive seven-month leadership campaign that saw him be a clear frontrunner on all accounts – whether it be membership sales or fundraising.
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Poilievre swept the contest with 68.15 per cent of the vote. Former Quebec premier Jean Charest, who came in second, only got 16.07 per cent.
MP Leslyn Lewis, who was third in the 2020 leadership contest for party leadership, came in third place again with 9.69 per cent of the vote. Former Ontario MPP Roman Baber, who got kicked out of premier Doug Ford’s caucus last year for opposing Covid-19 lockdowns, garnered 5.03 per cent, and MP Scott Aitchison received 1.06 per cent of the vote.
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For months, Poilievre’s team has been saying privately that they believed their candidate could easily win on the first round in a preferential ballot and went as far as saying they could win in most if not all provinces – even Quebec, but was careful not to take anything for granted.
Saturday’s results makes Poilievre the third elected leader since former prime minister Stephen Harper’s departure from politics and one that Conservatives hope will bring them to victory in the next federal election after three consecutive defeats to Justin Trudeau’s Liberals.
Poilievre took the stage under roars of applause as his victory was declared and sought out to extend thanks to his family, his team, but also his opponents in the race.
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He extended his thanks to Aitchison for “running on ideas like simplifying and lowering taxes”, Baber for fighting back against vaccine mandates and Lewis for standing up for families and freedom during the race.
He also had kind words for Charest, who he thanked for his service to the country especially during the 1995 Quebec referendum.
Poilievre’s focus quickly shifted to attacking the Liberal government, which he accused of driving up the cost of living and doubling the national debt.
He talked about families downgrading their diets because of the cost of food rapidly rising, seniors delaying their retirements and watching their life savings “evaporate with inflation” but also millennials who still live at home because they cannot afford a house.
Poilievre went on to reiterate promises made during the campaign such as increasing oil production in Canada in order to replace imports of foreign oil within five years and accelerating work credentials for immigrants so they can start working in the country.
More details to come.
Pierre Poilievre elected new leader of Conservative Party of Canada | National Post
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