Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre speaks at the Conservative Party's national convention in Calgary on Friday.Jennifer Gauthier/Reuters
Conservative Party campaign manager Steve Outhouse said demand from the party’s grassroots for internal changes is being heard loud and clear as he prepares for the next election.
But Mr. Outhouse said even as global dynamics insert themselves into domestic affairs, the ballot-box question of the campaign will still centre on Canadians’ everyday concerns.
“It’s going to be about what affects people’s day-to-day lives, and that certainly could have some elements of international affairs in it,” he told The Globe and Mail in an interview on the sidelines of the party convention in Calgary.
“But ultimately, government is about taking care of people and providing opportunity and right now, we’re not going to pivot away from that because that’s actually what matters to many people,” he said.
Mr. Outhouse, a veteran Conservative campaign manager, was hired by the party last year to run the next national election.
He replaced Jenni Byrne, a polarizing figure inside the Conservative movement, whose approach to the 2025 election generated controversy.
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The Conservatives had a commanding lead in the polls heading into last year. Then, the ballot-box question shifted from Justin Trudeau’s record and affordability concerns, to who had the better plan to grapple with a global trade war.
Conservative Party of Canada leader Pierre Poilievre speaks during Question Period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, January 27, 2026. REUTERS/Patrick DoylePatrick Doyle/Reuters
The Liberals, led by Mark Carney, ended up winning a minority government.
Ms. Byrne remains an adviser to Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and was at the convention.
Mr. Outhouse acknowledged the Conservatives have a challenge on their hands taking on the Liberals at a time of global upheaval.
“We are still in a role where we need to hold the government to account, and one of the easiest ways to belittle your political opponents is to say: ‘If you’re questioning an outcome of government, you’re siding with Trump in this situation,’” he said.
“And that’s not the case at all.”
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The Conservatives did increase their seat count and share of the popular vote in the April election, facts that delegates were repeatedly reminded of by speakers ahead of the Friday night vote on Mr. Poilievre’s future.
The question on their ballot was direct: Do you think Pierre Poilievre should remain leader of the Conservative Party of Canada?
He was expected to win.
“I just hope it’s a nice, clear number that allows us to just say, okay, the support from the party is there, and now we can focus on running the campaign ahead,” Mr. Outhouse said. “That’s what I’m looking for.”
Mr. Outhouse said he didn’t want to offer opinions on where he thought the party went wrong last year.
Some convention delegates didn’t shy away from offering their own opinions during debates earlier Friday morning on proposed changes to the party’s constitution.
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A running theme was criticism of the party’s delay in nominating candidates, and not being forthcoming enough with information.
Mr. Outhouse said some of what party members are asking for – such as better communication from headquarters – is reasonable. “You learn from every campaign that you’ve been a part of,” he said, adding that the party will be making needed changes.
Mr. Outhouse will have a substantial war chest at his disposal for the next campaign.
The head of the Conservative Party’s fundraising arm updated delegates earlier Friday, saying the past three years have brought in record amounts of money.
Robert Staley, the chair of what’s known as the Conservative Fund, stressed Mr. Poilievre’s role in that success, saying that under him, the party has doubled fundraising revenue since 2022.
Mr. Staley said the party raised $48-million in 2025. That was up from $41.7-million in 2024 and $35-million in 2023.
The Liberals announced earlier this month that 2025 had been their best year on record, raising $29-million.
“Wow, congratulations,” Mr. Staley said about the Liberal fundraising record.
“That would not make our top five.”