Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre remains under pressure to make changes to how he runs the party, and in particular how he puts together and showcases his team of MPs.Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press
The Conservative Party is pursuing changes to how it nominates candidates after widespread frustration over the process for the April federal election.
Unexplained candidate disqualifications, last-minute nomination votes and complaints that national party officials overruled local desires were among the concerns raised by grassroots members both before and after the election.
The Conservatives did add to their seat count and grew their share of the popular vote in the election. But Leader Pierre Poilievre lost his own seat and the party failed to defeat the Liberals despite holding a commanding lead in public polling in the months leading up to the vote.
Grassroots members have hotly debated the reasons for the loss. Some blame the trade dispute with the U.S. administration as setting up a ballot question that Mr. Poilievre didn’t have the right answer for. Others blame campaign manager Jenni Byrne – who has said she will not run the next campaign.
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Earlier this year, the party struck a committee to review nominations and sent a survey to members this month.
A copy of the survey was obtained by The Globe and Mail.
“With your thoughtful contributions, we aim to revise these Rules to ensure they are serving our members and Party,” the preamble to the survey says.
The first question: “What do you think it will take to ensure the Party attracts the best candidates to form a strong majority government under Pierre Poilievre’s leadership?”
Mr. Poilievre remains under pressure to make changes to how he runs the party, and in particular how he puts together and showcases his team of MPs.
Small signs of change have emerged since the election loss. He’s allowed more MPs to lead on criticism of certain government policies, and given the green light for them to do interviews on mainstream-media outlets, which they were previously barred from doing.
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But how those MPs are potentially selected in the first place remains a sore spot.
The survey also asks whether MPs ought to be protected from facing nominations.
Currently, MPs don’t have to run again for a nomination if they raise $15,000, and the survey asks whether that practice should continue.
Members are also asked whether they’d be in favour of setting an “election ready date” where the party would have a full slate ready to go for an election.
The Liberals won a minority government in the past election and have 169 seats to the Conservatives 144.
Several riding associations have signalled that they intend to push for changes to the nomination process at the party’s January convention by proposing amendments to its constitution.
The convention will also see party members vote on whether Mr. Poilievre should stay on as leader. He is expected to win that vote.