A new Angus Reid Institute poll shows Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre retaining rock-solid support from the party's core voters — even as left-leaning critics pile on with tired tropes about his "insincerity" and supposed Trump-like tendencies.The survey, conducted Aug. 15-18 among 2,020 Canadian adults, paints a picture of a Conservative Party that came tantalizingly close to victory in the latest federal election, securing its highest popular vote share (41%) since Brian Mulroney's heyday in the 1980s. Yet, instead of forming government, the CPC was left in opposition, thanks largely to external chaos: Trump's return to the White House with threats of annexation and economic warfare, and Justin Trudeau's abrupt resignation paving the way for Mark Carney to axe the carbon tax and steal Poilievre's thunder.Conservative voters aren't buying the blame game aimed at their leader. A whopping 68% say Poilievre should lead the party into the next election, with only 18% calling for a new face ahead of January's leadership review in Calgary. When asked who bears the most responsibility for the election loss, CPC supporters pointed fingers outward: 39% blamed Trump for upending Canada-U.S. relations with his tariff threats, while 22% pinned it on Carney's opportunistic pivot that neutralized the Conservatives' anti-carbon tax crusade. Only 14% faulted Poilievre himself, and a mere 10% targeted campaign manager Jenni Byrne — a far cry from the media frenzy suggesting internal dysfunction..The poll does highlight gripes about the campaign's execution, but even here, Conservatives show pragmatism over panic, with 61% agreeing the party needed to "pivot" once Carney ditched the carbon tax, robbing Poilievre of his signature axe to grind issue. Other criticisms — often amplified by liberal media outlets — fell flat with the base: just 34% thought the CPC lacked a clear plan for Canada, 27% called the campaign "too negative," and a scant 19% bought into the smear that Poilievre "sounded too much like Trump." Among those who flirted with voting Conservative but ultimately bailed — a small group of 108 respondents — discontent runs higher, with 70% citing a lack of a clear plan and 59% each decrying negativity or Trump echoes. .As for Poilievre's personal ratings? The poll trots out the usual negatives: 52% view him as "insincere" (up from 45% in 2023), and 50% say they'd be "ashamed" to call him prime minister (up 10 points). The gender gap still persists regarding the Conservative leader, with 55% of women disagreeing that Poilievre "genuinely cares" about them, up from uncertainty in prior polls. Yet, even here, the numbers suggest Poilievre's unfiltered style cuts through to men across ages, though likability has dipped slightly overall..On the party's brand, the data shows mixed progress under Poilievre. Fewer Canadians (43%) now see the CPC as "too much for the rich" compared to the Andrew Scheer era (53%), a nod to Poilievre's working-class appeal. But, perceptions of the party "moving to the fringes" have risen to 45% from 25% in 2017 — likely fuelled by relentless attacks from the left portraying common-sense conservatism as extremism.Almost half (48%) say the party doesn't represent "people like them," up 10 points since post-Harper days, though it's dominant in the Prairies (68% in Alberta feel represented).Looking ahead, Conservative voters want stability: 60% say to stay the course ideologically, with just 17% pushing further right.Even on hot-button issues like Carney's trade talks with Trump, 53% advise a "Team Canada" approach to secure the best deal — pragmatic patriotism over partisan sniping.
