A longtime Conservative MP who had not endorsed Pierre Poilievre during the leadership race in 2022 now says he’s the right person for the job of holding the government to account on key issues like the economy.
Michelle Rempel Garner often pens articles discussing politics and policies, and on May 2 she posted her analysis on social media of the situation the Conservative Party faces following the election loss this week.
She said leadership stability is needed as Canada faces stark economic prospects, which she said could be made worse by the new Liberal government’s spending plan.
The Liberals’ costed platform has projected $129 billion in new spending and $225 billion added to the federal debt over four years. Rempel Garner noted how the Fitch credit rating agency said this week this fiscal policy could impact Canada’s credit rating.
“The elephant sized issue in the room is that Canada is facing a stagflationary scenario without much wherewithal in the government coffers,” she wrote.
“With tens of millions of Canadians living paycheque to paycheque, the job losses that will precipitate from a recession, combined with continued inflationary pressures, have the potential to [be] catastrophic for the country.”
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She said Conservatives need to focus on the country’s finances once Parliament resumes. Parliament has not been sitting since early January when then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced prorogation.
Rempel Garner won re-election in the Calgary Nose Hill riding this week and will begin her fifth term in the House of Commons when Parliament returns on May 26.
During the 2022 Tory leadership race, Rempel Garner was one of a few MPs who initially backed Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown, before he was eventually disqualified from the race.
“I didn’t back Pierre in the last leadership race, so at the outset of his leadership, I was one of his deepest skeptics,” she wrote. “But since he won the leadership with a resounding plurality, he has more than earned my respect.”
Rempel Garner lost her shadow cabinet role after the ousting of Tory leader Erin O’Toole in early 2022.
The Alberta MP wrote in her article she chose to take the demotion as a “gift” and used her time away from the “day-to-day partisan and party fray” to reflect on her role and focus on policy work.
“That change reminded me that real political power comes from the people you seek to represent,” she said, adding that it was an opportunity to grow.
“I have confidence that Pierre – already a giant – has the capacity to both hold and further grow our voter coalition, and he now has a little more breathing room to do so while still being the leader of our party,” she said.
Conservatives increased their seat total by 25 in this election and the party obtained its largest share of votes since 1988.
That was not enough to win, and came after the Tories saw their 20-point lead in the polls evaporate in recent months, due to factors such as Trudeau’s departure, tariffs and 51st state comments from the U.S. president, and a new leader for the Liberal Party.
Liberals fell four seats short of a majority government and Tories outperformed in some aspects, gaining seats in Ontario and B.C. But it wasn’t enough to account for factors like the weaker showings by the NDP and the Bloc Québécois.
Liberals fell four seats short of a majority government and the Tories made headway in some Liberal territory, winning previously held Liberal seats in Ontario and B.C. But it wasn’t enough to account for other factors like the weaker showings for the NDP and the Bloc Québécois.
It also wasn’t enough for Poilievre to hold on to the riding he had represented since 2004.
Other Support
Poilievre suggested in his concession speech he was staying on as leader and he has so far received support from many MPs, including prominent voices like former leader Andrew Scheer.
The logistics of Poilievre returning to the House of Commons became clearer on May 2 when Alberta MP Damien Kurek said he would step down to let Poilievre run in a byelection in his riding.
Kurek, first elected in 2019, would have secured his MP pension in October. He won his re-election on April 28 with 81.8 percent of the vote.
Prime Minister Mark Carney said on May 2 he would call a byelection as soon as possible and that he wouldn’t be playing “games” on the matter to delay Poilievre’s return to the House.
Parliament is set to return on May 26 and King Charles is expected open Parliament by delivering the speech from the throne on May 27.
Before then, the Conservative caucus will need to decide whether it will invoke the Reform Act to trigger a party leadership review after the election loss.
