A look at what Pierre Poilievre must do next as new Tory leader – National

Pierre Poilievre wakes up today as the new leader of the conservative party, who takes a landslide victory.

Before he can take the time to enjoy the win, he has a list of things to do.

The House of Commons will meet again in nine days, meaning Poilievre and his inner circle will have to decide who will fill their role as critic.

Poilievre has no shortage of names to choose from, as 62 of the party’s other 118 MPs chose to support him in the campaign.

He must also decide where to place the MPs who were former rivals to the leadership: Scott Aitchison and Leslyn Lewis.

The conservative caucus is also expected to meet Monday, where Poilievre and the MPs he leads – including those who did not support him in the contest – will determine their priorities for the fall.

The results of Saturday’s leadership elections show that Poilievre not only won big, but really big.

A detailed breakdown of the results shows that he won nearly all of the country’s 338 stages, including most in Quebec.

That would be a disappointment for former Prime Minister Jean Charest, who was Poilievre’s main rival in the race.

Lewis also came out on Saturday with only about nine percent of support, having surpassed many party members’ expectations with her strong third-place finish in the 2020 leadership contest.

Poilievre made it a point to reach out to Lewis and Charest’s supporters, as well as those who backed Ontario rural MP Scott Aitchison and former Ontario legislator Roman Baber in his victory speech.

“I open my arms to you,” he said.

Those taking the stage on Saturday, including outgoing interim leader Candice Bergen, spoke of the need for party unity.

Poilievre who won the first vote with almost 70 percent of the support will be seen by many in the party as a good first step.