Conservative MPs back Poilievre as leader

Most Wednesday mornings, a lineup of Conservative MPs stroll past journalists on their way into the weekly caucus meeting on Parliament Hill with little more to say than, "Good morning."

This week, around a dozen stopped in front of the cameras to deliver a message.

"Our caucus is united behind Pierre Poilievre," said House leader Andrew Scheer, who did not answer questions.

Monday's byelections solidified the Liberals' status as a majority government after five opposition MPs joined the government benches over the last six months.

Not for the first time, questions are swirling around Ottawa about whether Poilievre is the best person to continue to lead the party.

His MPs tried to dispel those questions.

"Certainly caucus is united, and united behind a leader that has a vision," deputy leader Melissa Lantsman said.

Ontario MP Roman Baber referred to the four defectors as "a handful of MPs who forgot who they represent."

Carol Anstey, who represents a riding in Newfoundland, said she hasn't heard of anyone trying to organize to oust Poilievre.

The Conservative caucus voted to give itself that power last spring, after Poilievre lost his own Ottawa-area seat in the April general election. Signatures from 20 per cent of caucus members would force a secret-ballot vote on his leadership. If a majority of the caucus votes against the leader, they are removed, and another secret-ballot vote held to elect an interim leader.

"I think it's important for us to continue to do what we do well, and that is to hold the government to account," Anstey said.

Several MPs cited the positive talking points the party first began circulating last spring: more than 8 million Canadians voted Conservative a year ago, the highest number seen since the modern Conservative party was born; Poilievre has expanded the party base to include younger people and new Canadians, along with people who haven't voted in the past.

But Conservative supporters did not show up in strength for Monday's byelections. Just 3.3 per cent of those who cast a ballot in Terrebonne voted Conservative, down from 18 per cent a year ago. 

The Conservative candidate in Scarborough Southwest finished a distant second with just shy of 19 per cent of the vote, a drop from the 30 per cent the party earned last April.

The Conservative in University—Rosedale ended third with 12 per cent, down from 23 per cent in 2025. 

Lantsman argued those were ridings "the Liberals had won before and certainly won again."

But when Poilievre was riding high in the polls and beating up on then-prime minister Justin Trudeau in Parliament in June 2024, the Conservatives stunned political pundits by flipping a seat in the Liberal fortress of Toronto.

The loss of the Toronto—St. Paul's byelection, a seat the Liberals had won in every election since 1993, led to louder calls for Trudeau to consider stepping down. The Liberals won the seat back from the Conservatives in the general election under Mark Carney.

"This is a long game that we're playing, we're prepared to do that work, but I absolutely stand behind Pierre Poilievre as our leader," said Ontario MP Andrew Lawton.

Conservatives are settling in for several more years as the Official Opposition.

For the first time since 2019, the opposition parties will not have the numbers to topple the government in confidence votes. Prime Minister Mark Carney does not have to call an election until 2029.

Poilievre has remained defiant, telling MPs in the House of Commons on Tuesday that he will "continue to lead that fight in this House, across this country and in the next election."

Tory MPs insisted publicly that the mood inside caucus is healthy, even as rumours continue to swirl that the Liberals are trying to poach more floor-crossers.

"It was just very, very positive. We're really focusing on what Canadians want us to focus on, and that's what we're talking about," said Ontario MP Costas Menegakis after Wednesday's meeting.

AI Minister Evan Solomon, who was involved in helping recruit Marilyn Gladu to the government benches, said the Liberals are talking to "lots of people" about crossing the floor.

Gladu's defection raised eyebrows because the four-time MP had a socially conservative voting record and had been a staunch opponent of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions and a supporter of the "Freedom Convoy."

In the weeks before she left the Conservatives, Gladu delivered a heated attack on the government in the House of Commons for choosing to appeal a Federal Court decision that said the use of the Emergencies Act to end the convoy protests was unlawful and infringed on the demonstrators' Charter rights.

Gladu posted on social media on March 21 that "violating our Charter rights has become normal" for the Liberals.

She joined the Liberal caucus on April 8.

On Wednesday, she left her first Liberal caucus meeting with a smile.

"It was fantastic. What a great group," Gladu said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 15, 2026.

By Sarah Ritchie | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.