Poilievre’s next hurdle: winning broader support

Party faithful have affirmed their loyalty to Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, but not corrected the deeper dilemma: can the populist conservatism he embodies expand beyond its base?

A resounding vote of confidence may offer comfort, but it still doesn’t bring the direction the Conservatives need to find their way back to power, writes Bhagwant Sandhu. The Hill Times photograph by Amir Said

Opinion

BY BHAGWANT SANDHU

February 2, 2026

OTTAWA—Pierre Poilievre has survived his Conservative leadership review with 87.4 per cent support. In the narrow arithmetic of party politics, it signals vindication. But politics, like literature, is not moved by numbers. The question is not what

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