No place for Poilievre’s old politics against Liberal centre-right pivot

With the Carney Liberals occupying the centre-right, the Conservatives face a hard question: evolve to lead a changing Canada or stay stuck in a political cul-de-sac of grievance and nostalgia.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre won the Aug. 18 Alberta byelection which will send him back to the House of Commons this fall.The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Opinion

BY BHAGWANT SANDHU

August 20, 2025

OTTAWA—Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s comeback to Parliament feels less like a victory lap than a political rerun stuck on pause. It raises the seminal question: are the Conservatives content to remain a party of perpetual protest, or are they ready to form gover...

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