Poilievre should take a page out of Brian Mulroney’s playbook on caucus management, say political players: ‘an absolute master,’ it was his ‘secret sauce’

David McLaughlin says building and maintaining mutual trust requires two-way communication. It's also political capital that leaders can draw upon in tough times. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre needs to reach out to his MPs individually, rather than through the House leader and the whip.

To effectively manage his 143-member caucus, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, pictured shaking hands with Conservative MP Laila Goodridge and Marilyn Gladu, left, on the Hill on Sept. 14, 2025, must build mutual trust and have regular two-way communication with MPs, says David McLaughlin.The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

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BY ABBAS RANA

November 17, 2025

As MPs return to Ottawa following the Remembrance Day break, and after a tumultuous week prior that saw one Conservative MP cross the floor and another announce he would step down, some pundits and political insiders are suggesting that Leader Pierre Poilievre should adopt t...

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