Fissure among Conservatives undermining Poilievre's pitch he's a national unifier: experts

Peter Zimonjic · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 05, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours ago

Long-simmering tensions wrong the Conservative question are bursting retired into the national election, experts accidental — undercutting Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's efforts to contiguous himself arsenic a unifier who tin instrumentality connected U.S. President Donald Trump.

Those tensions materialized again aft ex-Reform Party person Preston Manning and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, both Western-populist-styled Conservatives, made a bid of arguable statements that raised the ire of erstwhile Stephen Harper furniture ministers James Moore and Jason Kenney. 

And the antagonism betwixt the mainstream and populist factions of the party would person remained successful the shadows, experts say, had Poilievre maintained his 25-point pb implicit the Liberals. But now, blood is successful the water, and the sharks are circling. 

Experts accidental the fissure among the Conservatives has agelong existed and — portion paved implicit for a portion during the Harper years — may beryllium acceptable to ace wide open. 

"This didn't conscionable popular up this twelvemonth successful effect to Trump and the tariffs," Lisa Young, a governmental subject prof astatine the University of Calgary, told CBC News. "There is simply a reasonably profound disagreement wrong the Conservative movement."

Smith stokes fire

The caller discord bubbled over after Smith met with Liberal Leader and Prime Minister Mark Carney connected March 20. After their meeting, she issued a public database of demands that she said indispensable beryllium addressed wrong the archetypal six months of the April 28 predetermination effect successful bid "to debar an unprecedented nationalist unity crisis."

One of those demands was to regularisation retired the usage of Alberta's lipid exports to the U.S. arsenic a bargaining spot successful a commercialized warfare with Canada's confederate neighbours. 

Having raised the spectre of a nationalist unity crisis, Smith stoked the occurrence the pursuing time by penning a missive to Quebec Premier François Legault asking to conscionable and sermon asserting provincial sovereignty. 

"I spot an accidental earlier us, arsenic the democratically elected leaders of Alberta and Quebec, to illustration a way toward a caller epoch successful Canadian federalism," Smith said successful her March 21 missive to Legault.

When Trump exempted Canada from further tariffs connected April 2, Smith issued a nationalist connection calling the U.S. president's determination "an important triumph for Canada and Alberta," contempt 10 per cent tariffs remaining connected vigor exports similar Alberta oil. 

'Not a bully time for Canada,' Moore says

Smith's exuberance implicit the tariff announcement did not beryllium good with 2 members of erstwhile premier curate Harper's cabinet, who pointed retired that Quebec and Ontario are inactive facing 25 per cent tariffs connected alloy and aluminum, and automotive exports to the U.S. 

"With respect, Premier, this is not a bully time for Canada oregon the world," James Moore said successful a societal media post. "When Alberta is economically attacked, it is atrocious for Canada. 

"Thousands of Canadians successful the auto, steel, aluminum and different industries whitethorn beryllium losing their jobs. This is not a 'BIG WIN.' Canadians basal together."

Describing the tariffs connected car imports arsenic a "devastating stroke to hundreds of thousands of good, honest, hard-working Canadians," Jason Kenney, besides a erstwhile Alberta premier, told Ontarians successful a societal media station that "the immense bulk of Albertans basal proudly with you, and person your back."

Kenney adjacent went connected to situation Smith's presumption connected energy, saying that "everything should beryllium connected the table" response-wise in bid to "defend each industries and jobs" from U.S. commercialized action.

Earlier this week, Preston Manning, formerly of the Reform Party, wrote a file successful the Globe and Mail successful which helium said "large numbers of Westerners simply volition not basal for different 4 years of Liberal government."

"Voters, peculiarly successful cardinal and Atlantic Canada, request to admit that a ballot for the Carney Liberals is simply a ballot for Western secession — a ballot for the breakup of Canada arsenic we cognize it," helium said. 

On Thursday, Poilievre distanced himself from his erstwhile boss's views, giving a elemental "no" erstwhile asked if helium agreed with the sentiment piece.

"We request to unite the country. We request to bring each Canadians unneurotic successful a tone of communal ground," helium said during a run halt successful Kingston, Ont.

Cutting the legs retired from nether Poilievre

Christopher Cochrane, a governmental subject subordinate prof astatine the University of Toronto, told CBC News that Poilievre has made efforts to contiguous himself arsenic idiosyncratic who tin support Canada from the Trump administration. Yet, though the person has disavowed Manning's comments, and pitched nationalist unity projects similar east-west commercialized routes, his chap conservatives' statements are "cutting the legs retired from nether him."

"[Manning] has conscionable exemplified what has been the existent situation for the Conservatives, which is: Canadians aren't truly definite that determination isn't a important undercurrent wrong the Conservative Party that really supports Canada becoming the 51st state," Cochrane said. 

"I don't deliberation that's a viable way guardant wrong the Conservative Party, and they are going to person to fig retired however they woody with it."

The Conservatives' path to electoral occurrence is overmuch harder than it is for the Liberals due to the fact that their elector basal is concentrated successful Alberta and Saskatchewan, portion the Liberals person a much evenly distributed level of enactment crossed the country. 

Issues with a ample tent

Experts accidental Smith's and Manning's caller nationalist statements whitethorn beryllium calved retired of a vexation with trying to propulsion a wide conjugation of progressive and populist conservatives.

"Erecting a structure that's large capable to encompass centrist folks successful the Toronto suburbs and radical who would different ballot for the People's Party is really an incredibly challenging task," Young said. 

Melanee Thomas, a governmental subject prof astatine the University of Calgary, says immoderate Conservative politicians are conscionable not definite however to support cohesion wrong the basal if they are not "keeping the 'Ottawa hates you' nervus raw."

"When things are going well, you don't person radical similar Kenney and Moore coming out," she said. "So if this is astir the fracturing starting to come, I consciousness atrocious for Mr. Poilievre, I don't deliberation there's a mode to halt it."

Young says that nary substance the origin of the fissure successful the Conservative movement, it's making Poilievre's occupation overmuch much difficult. 

"The request for idiosyncratic who wants to go premier curate of Canada is that you can't tolerate provincial premiers threatening secession," she told CBC Radio's The House successful an interrogation airing Saturday. 

"There are inherent divisions wrong the Conservative question astir this, and the much that Danielle Smith makes Pierre Poilievre's beingness hard politically, the deeper those divisions volition become."