A reconfirmed Poilievre, now with more hope and optimism |
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, alongside his wife Anaida and children, Cruz and Valentina, waves to the crowd following the keynote address at the national Conservative Party convention on Friday in Calgary.Jennifer Gauthier/Reuters
The phrase that was repeated like a mantra on the opening night of the Conservative convention was that Pierre Poilievre carried a “message of hope.” MPs and party officials who spoke Thursday night used the word “hope” 16 times in an hour.
So Pierre Poilievre 2.0 is to be about hope. The Conservative Leader spoke with a smile through most of his 45 minutes at the podium Friday night. He spoke not just about the problem Canadians have making ends meet but about bringing them hope. He sought to inspire with the story of a recovered addict and spoke emotionally of the moment when he first heard his autistic daughter speak.
This was to be a new side to Mr. Poilievre. There were signs that said “Choose Hope.” He walked out to the strains of Journey’s Don’t Stop Believing. But it was a new thing grafted on to the original host. Much of the content of his speech rested on the greatest hits from his 2025 campaign speeches.
Poilievre wins 87.4% in leadership vote, cements hold over Conservative Party
It was perhaps a choice not to mess with too much. He spoke to Conservative delegates about to vote on his leadership, so........