Infighting in Canada Conservatives: Relentless Separation and Calls for Unity

Caroline Elliott, former British Columbia (BC) leadership candidate for the Conservative Party of Canada, called for an end to the ongoing infighting within the party. Rejecting the narrative that she is an "East Coast liberal lobbyist," Elliott emphasized that she is a lifelong federal Conservative voter and supports Pierre Poilievre. She invited Conservatives to set aside personal feuds and focus on the challenges faced by ordinary Canadians. This message of unity and solidarity found broad resonance within the party, including from former Alberta Premier Jason Kenney. Kenney's ouster by his own party base highlights how deep-rooted the civil war Elliott is trying to end truly is.

However, this call for unity does not change the fact that Conservatives at every level across Canada are not heeding their own advice. Elliott was criticized for working with controversial figures from the very beginning of her campaign in the race she narrowly lost to Kerry-Lynne Findlay in May. The relocation of Stephen Harper's former communications director and the manager of Ontario Premier Doug Ford's three winning campaigns, Kory Teneycke, to BC to run Elliott's campaign made her the early favorite. But Teneycke's public criticism of the National Conservative campaign in the 2025 federal election had not faded from the party base's memory. Teneycke's past created a toxic effect at the ballot boxes, causing Elliott to remain a target even after the race concluded.

This deep conflict within Canadian conservatism is not limited to a single leadership level or region; it is spreading like an infectious disease across federal, provincial, and local levels. The political baggage carried by a federal strategist can instantly become the biggest vulnerability of a provincial leadership candidate. Decisions and IMAGE work made by the federal leader turn into opportunistic material used by provincial rivals to highlight their own differences. It is noted that the boundaries between BC Conservatives, the federal party, and the countless strategists, consultants, and commentators circulating in these circles have now become completely meaningless. Consequently, intra-party factional feuds and score-settling are rapidly splintering in all directions through these invisible networks.

Toronto Sun columnist Brian Lilley also brought up this issue, particularly focusing on the federal party, accusing Poilievre of needlessly fighting with his own allies. Lilley is not a critic from the left wing, but rather a conservative commentator defending arguments constantly voiced by the grassroots at every level and in every province of the party. A similar debate flared up between Brittany Foote, who had served in the party's internal communications mechanism, and Poilievre's former communications director, Katy Merrifield. Foote stated that constantly changing party leaders is not a solution; she expressed that when elected, politicians lose their bold and authentic stances, becoming trapped in softened, polling-data-driven texts prepared by consultants. Arguing that this narrow-visioned playbook, which chases suburban moms and senior voters instead of reaching out to young voters, has bottlenecked the party, she called for a radical change.

On the other hand, Merrifield, who was tasked with reshaping Poilievre's image and directing him to make policy speeches in suits, tried to deflect Foote's criticisms by relying on her years of provincial political experience. While all these exchanges appear to be pieces of the structural and intractable crisis facing Canadian conservatives, it is evident that the examples could be multiplied. While Teneycke's federal grudges followed him all the way to Victoria, Merrifield's provincial experience is being questioned in Ottawa; meanwhile, Poilievre's coalition issues directly impact Danielle Smith's weakening position in Alberta. Conservatives constantly remind each other, just as in Elliott's call this week, that continuous infighting only helps their opponents. Unfortunately, the fundamental reason these calls have become a recurring pattern is that this destructive civil war does not stop even for a moment.