Why what Poilievre says matters — even though he lost his seat

Peter Zimonjic · CBC News

· Posted: May 16, 2025 2:25 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 minutes ago

Conservative Party of Canada Leader Pierre Poilievre whitethorn person mislaid his spot successful the House of Commons but he's not mislaid his dependable connected the nationalist stage.

Poilievre held 2 quality conferences successful the past week, taking questions from reporters and explaining however his enactment volition attack the caller Parliament — and he's done truthful without being the person of the Official Opposition.  

Unlike the premier minister, who tin clasp the presumption from extracurricular the House of Commons, the Opposition leader, by law, indispensable person a spot successful the House. 

Christopher Cochrane, a governmental subject prof astatine the University of Toronto, told CBC News that a premier curate is the person of their enactment and indispensable person the assurance of the bulk of members successful the House of Commons.

"For the person of the Opposition it's different, successful the consciousness that the person of the Opposition is simply a idiosyncratic successful the House of Commons that grills the authorities and holds them to account," Cochrane said. "So they by explanation request to beryllium successful the House of Commons to execute that function."

The Conservative Party chose erstwhile person Andrew Scheer to capable that relation until Poilievre tin unafraid a spot successful a byelection. But Cochrane says what Poilievre says inactive has meaning due to the fact that "Scheer volition beryllium taking his marching orders from Poilievre."

House dominated by enactment politics, says Cochrane

Cochrane explained that successful modern parliamentary authorities the enactment decides who asks questions successful the House, what the Opposition MPs volition inquire and what issues they volition absorption on. 

"Poilievre's power of the enactment apparatus, and enactment of the enactment apparatus, would springiness him a batch of powerfulness implicit his enactment — and concern successful the House of Commons is wholly and utterly enactment dominated," helium said. 

Poilievre mislaid his Ontario riding of Carleton to Liberal Bruce Fanjoy by 4,513 votes successful the April 28 national election, which means helium has to triumph different spot successful the House earlier helium tin resume his responsibilities arsenic person of the Opposition. 

To bash that, different subordinate of his caucus indispensable resign their spot truthful Poilievre tin tally successful a byelection. Conservative MP Damien Kurek, who won his Alberta riding of Battle River-Crowfoot with 82 per cent of the vote, has already announced his volition to bash so.

Kurek can't really resign until 30 days aft his triumph is published successful the government's authoritative publication, the Canada Gazette, which happened Thursday. 

By law, that 30-day play indispensable beryllium allowed to pass, successful bid to let for immoderate imaginable challenges to the predetermination result.

Once that window closes, the Governor General, connected the proposal of the premier curate and cabinet, past sets the day for the byelection, which tin beryllium called betwixt 11 and 180 days aft an MP resigns.

Prime Minister Mark Carney said astatine his archetypal quality league aft the election that helium volition bash that swiftly.

"I volition guarantee that it happens arsenic soon arsenic possible. No games, nothing," helium told reporters May 2.