CALGARY — Conservatives from across the country gathered in Calgary at the BMO Centre on Thursday night for what is being billed as the largest Conservative convention in Canadian history.Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s mandatory leadership review will be the marquee moment of the party’s three-day convention in Calgary, with delegates also set to spend hours debating proposed changes to Conservative policy and the party’s constitution.The event brings together 2,500 voting delegates selected by each of Canada’s 343 Conservative riding associations..Opening the proceedings on Thursday night was country music singer Brett Kissel who gave the packed house a rousing performance before Calgary Midnapore MP Stephanie Kusie — who is serving as master of ceremonies — took to the stage, striking an aspirational tone during the opening ceremonies.“Tonight is about more than speeches,” Kusie told delegates.“It’s about coming together to outline the message that the Conservative Party and Pierre Poilievre have been championing.”She said Canadians are looking for a government focused on affordability, public safety and immigration reform.“[Canadians] need hope that we represent a government that’s serious about making affordability, about cracking down on criminals, fixing our broken immigration system, and protecting this country,” Kusie said.“Canadians are looking for serious leadership and real, tangible solutions — and we provide them.”.Carol Antsey, MP for the Long Range Mountains in Newfoundland and Labrador, echoed that message, saying the party’s appeal now extends into regions once considered un-winnable.“Our message must be heard in every riding in Canada,” Antsey said.“Places that were written off by experts and pundits just a decade ago are now represented by Conservative members of Parliament, fighting for them and fighting to restore Canada’s promise.”She added that the party’s focus under Poilievre has resonated with voters who feel overlooked by the governing Liberals.“The party’s message of hope and optimism under Pierre Poilievre resonated with Canadians who have been taken for granted by the Liberal government for far too long,” she said. .Aaron Gunn, MP for North Island-Powell River, also took to the podium, invoking the party’s historical roots and national vision.“We need only look back to our proud and storied past,” Gunn said.“It was under this party, led by the Father of Confederation, the great Sir John A. Macdonald, that the vision of this new nation was truly born.”Gunn described that vision as one of national unity spanning the country’s geography.“From the Atlantic to the Pacific, through the Rockies, across the Prairies and over the Canadian Shield — brought together in 1867 and tied together for over a hundred and fifty years with the ribbon of steel,” he said.While Poilievre’s leadership vote will dominate attention, party members will also have a lot to consider.More than four dozen policy resolutions are on the docket, covering topics ranging from artificial intelligence to foreign policy and public broadcasting.Several proposals mirror positions Poilievre has already championed, including calls for major changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) Program and a so-called dollar-for-dollar law that would require the federal government to cut one dollar of spending for every new dollar it proposes to spend.Other resolutions set to be put to the floor will reflect regional concerns.The Calgary–Nose Hill riding is calling for a national strategy to combat forest fires, while a proposal from Thunder Bay — Rainy River urges the party to partner with provinces, territories and indigenous peoples to build critical mining infrastructure.As a delegated federal convention, only designated representatives from each riding are permitted to vote, creating a formalized process for decision-making on the convention floor. .Conservative grassroots to debate abortion, DEI and social policy at Calgary convention.Poilievre will be facing his leadership review on Friday — the first for a Conservative leader since former Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s in 2005 following the party’s loss in the 2004 federal election.Harper won 84% support, and Poilievre will be looking to garner at least that much of the vote or higher, despite only needing a simple “yes” majority vote (50% plus one).Historically, Canadian party leaders often step down or are eventually forced out if they receive less than 70 or 80% in a review vote.According to a recent Abacus Data poll, Poilievre’s personal approval ratings are at their lowest point since mid-2023, even though he continues to enjoy strong support from his Conservative base.Poilievre became the MP for Battle River–Crowfoot in Alberta last year following a by-election, after losing his long-held Ottawa-area seat in the last federal election, while the Conservatives won 41.3% of the popular vote in that election — the highest number in the party’s modern history.Since then, two Conservative MPs have crossed the floor to join Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberals..Among the high-profile attendees expected this weekend is Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, who is scheduled to address delegates on Saturday.Smith tweeted her support for Poilievre on Thursday night, saying the national Conservative movement is "stronger when we stand together.""I am proud to stand with my friend Pierre Poilievre and support his continued leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada," Smith wrote.A variety of federal Conservative MPs will also be appearing in panel discussions and programs throughout the weekend.Poilievre will deliver his keynote address Friday night at 6:30 p.m. local time, with the convention concluding Saturday.Before the convention, Poilievre struck a defiant tone in a video he posted to social media.“I’m not giving up. I don’t quit,” he stated.“I’m going to keep on fighting for the Canadian people and their chance to have an affordable, safe future.”
