Conservative Party: Leadership Vote Looms Amidst Convention

CALGARY — Three Conservative MPs are throwing open the doors at the Empire Banquet Hall on January 29, 2026, at 6:30 PM, inviting convention-goers to a "Meet & Mingle" while their party wrestles with its biggest existential question in years: Does Pierre Poilievre still have the juice?

Amanpreet Singh Gill, Jasraj Hallan, and Dalwinder Gill are hosting the gathering during the Conservative Party of Canada National Convention, a three-day political cage match running January 29-31, 2026. It's the party's first national assembly since losing the federal election in April 2025. And the loss triggered something unavoidable: a mandatory secret ballot vote on Poilievre's leadership.

The Ballot Nobody Wanted to Talk About

Party rules are party rules. Lose an election, face the music. Poilievre's approval ratings aren't exactly lighting up the scoreboard—48% negative against 35% positive in an Abacus Data poll dropped on January 22. Even worse? The Liberals are back on top, leading 41% to 39% among committed voters, according to polling released the same day.

That's the backdrop when delegates cast their secret ballots. No speeches. No spin. Just a yes-or-no verdict on whether Poilievre keeps the keys.

Money Talks, Then Goes Quiet

The Conservatives pulled in monster cash before the election—$41.7 million in 2024 and $28 million in Q1 2025. But post-defeat? Fundraising cratered to $9 million in Q2 2025. Turns out losing doesn't just sting politically. It hits the bank account, too.

Meanwhile, the MPs hosting Wednesday's mixer represent different chapters of the party's recent story. Jasraj Hallan is the Shadow Minister for Finance, a veteran voice in the caucus. Amanpreet Singh Gill and Dalwinder Gill are freshly minted, both elected in April 2025. Dalwinder Gill's win was particularly sweet—he knocked off Liberal MP George Chahal.

Policy Wars Brewing Behind Closed Doors

Beyond the leadership drama, the convention floor will see battles over the party's ideological soul. Social conservatives want tougher positions on abortion and medical assistance in dying (MAID) for mental illness. Fiscal hawks and libertarians are pushing to ban a central bank digital currency and crack open private healthcare delivery options.

And then there are the moderates—the so-called Red Tories—watching Poilievre's polling numbers with visible anxiety. They're wondering if the party's sharp right turn is costing them the center, the very voters who decide elections.

What Happens Next

The convention wraps January 31, 2026. By then, delegates will have voted on Poilievre's future and a stack of policy and constitutional resolutions that could reshape the party's direction. Whether the leader survives and what policies make the cut will tell us if the Conservatives are circling the wagons or tearing them down from the inside.

First, though, there's drinks and small talk at the Empire Banquet Hall. Sometimes the real work happens over a handshake and a glass of wine.