It's safe to say these probably weren't the headlines Pierre Poilievre And Conservatives We were hoping for this week.
Two announced Tory defections have overshadowed Poilievre's criticism of Prime Minister Mark Carney's inaugural budget, shifting the focus back to Poilievre's leadership ahead of his party's convention in January.
While the circumstances of Nova Scotia MP Chris d'Entremont's defection to the Liberals and Alberta MP Matt Genero's unexpected early retirement differ, both were political gifts to the Carney government.
Two related Tories who spoke to Global News are concerned they are the latest symptoms of the “malaise” that has gripped the party since April's election defeat.
“There is widespread concern in party caucuses that Pierre may never be able to do this, and they are not confident that he is taking steps to improve,” one Conservative source, who was granted anonymity to talk about internal party matters, told Global News. The second source agreed with the assessment.
“A lot of people are in a holding pattern right now… I don't think it's about any components of what happened this week, it's more like, 'Does this guy have it, will he get there?'
Two Conservative MPs recently told Global News they have signed up to stand again in the 2025 election on the assumption that the party will form. government. But those assumptions were made around the time the party won by about 25 percentage points over Justin Trudeau's Liberals.
Both MPs separately told Global that their interest in serving a few more years in opposition is low, which could lead to more problems for Poilievre when the next federal election takes place.
Poilievre and his team have faced criticism from time to time inside the Conservative Party tent, with some high-profile exceptions including public criticism from Corey Teneycke, a party veteran and chief of staff to Prime Minister Doug Ford, and recent Toronto Star article Dimitri Soudas, Stephen Harper's former communications director, the party has largely stuck with its leader after a disappointing election defeat in April.
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“Essentially, Poilievre was created for one purpose: to unite the party and defeat Justin Trudeau,” said Darrell Bricker, CEO of Ipsos Global Relations.
“And that (goal) has been achieved in some ways… Justin Trudeau is gone, the Mark Carney government is in. In some ways they are more like the old Tory government. If you can compare it to any government we've had lately, (Carney) is more like a Jean Chrétien government or a Stephen Harper government than the proactive, really aggressive type of government we've had in the past.”
The Conservatives' week had already been disrupted Tuesday afternoon when d'Entremont – a veteran Nova Scotian politician who has served as a provincial cabinet minister and deputy speaker at the federal level – openly contemplated considering his options at Politico.
D'Entremont, an affable politician from Nova Scotia's “Red Tories,” or Progressive tradition, was never a natural fit for Poilevre's Western-tinged, sharp-elbowed conservative conservatism. A few hours after the publication in Politico, d'Entremont announced that he was joining the Liberal caucus.
As he walked out the door, d'Entremont hinted that there were other MPs in the Conservative caucus who had their own concerns about Poilievre's leadership. Whether this is true or not—and Global's sources suggest it is—the speculation alone only adds to Poilievre's headache.
While half the political reporters in Ottawa were chasing rumors of new supporters, longtime Alberta MP Matt Genero abruptly announced his resignation from the House of Commons.
First elected in 2015, Generu said in a statement Thursday night that he had made the decision — seven months after winning re-election — to focus more on his family. The Edmonton MP then released a second statement released by the Conservative Party saying he was not forced into making the decision.
MPs usually do not have to make statements clarifying that their decisions were not made under duress.
Generu was one of the names being whispered around Ottawa as they considered a move to the altar. Multiple news outlets, citing unnamed sources, reported Friday that Genereau met with Carney in person. Global News has not independently verified these reports.
“After my resignation this evening, I had a wonderful conversation with Pierre Poilievre, who, like me, wished me well,” Generu wrote in a statement.
“I wish him and my colleagues the best as they continue to raise the cost of living issues facing Canadians.”
A Conservative Party source close to Poilievre's team said the departures were “clearly unhelpful” but played down their long-term significance.
“Obviously, soap operas are much sexier and will get much more coverage. This is how political reporting works,” the source said.
“It's true when it's good for conservatives, and it's true when it's bad for conservatives, right? Obviously, this kind of thing is, of course, a huge distraction… Obviously not helpful, I'm not going to say it's great.”
“(But) over the years I've seen a lot of swings to the Conservatives, against the Conservatives, at the provincial level and everything else. And the party that loses an MP has a bad week, and the party that gains an MP has a good week. But it's kind of a story that lasts a week,” the source added.
The second source agreed with the assessment, but cautioned that the situation would change if Carney wins over more conservatives and secures a majority government.
While Poilevre's leadership currently appears secure from challengers, the prospect of at least three more years of unchallenged Liberal control of the House of Commons could change that.
— with a file from Mackenzie Gray.
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
