MP Thomas says Conservative caucus united behind new party leader

By Al Beeber - Lethbridge Herald on September 15, 2022.

Conservative Party of Canada Leader Pierre Poilievre delivers a speech after he was announced as the winner of the Conservative Party of Canada leadership vote, in Ottawa, on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

LETHBRIDGE HERALDabeeber@lethbridgeherald.com

Conservative Lethbridge Member of Parliament Rachael Thomas says her party is united behind new leader Pierre Poilievre.

Poilievre won the Conservative leadership race on the first ballot last weekend with about 70 per cent of votes cast. Former Quebec premier Jean Charest was second with 16.07 per cent of votes.

Poilievre, who grew up in Calgary, is the MP for the riding of Carleton in Ontario. He was first elected to Parliament when he was 25 as a member of the then newly-formed Conservative Party of Canada.

He first earned an undergraduate degree in international relations from the University of Calgary before heading to Ottawa in 2002 to work as a staffer for Stockwell Day who was with the Canadian Alliance.

Poilievre has served in cabinet as employment minister in 2015 and as minister of democratic reform in 2011. In 2006, he was appointed parliamentary secretary to the president of the Treasury Board and then to prime minister Stephen Harper.

While serving in Opposition, he has served as the Conservative finance critic.

In her statement to The Herald, Thomas said “The Conservative Party of Canada has never been stronger. Over a half a million new members joined our party to vote in this election bringing the total to 678,000 members. In this leadership election, 418,000 votes were cast and 70.7 per cent of those went to Pierre Poilievre. With this decisive victory, our caucus has already united behind Pierre and we will undoubtedly be ready to win the next election.

“In our new Conservative leader’s first speech to party members and to Canadians, he outlined his vision for the future stating, ‘Tonight begins a journey to replace an old government that costs you more and delivers you less with a new government that puts you first – your paycheque, your retirement, your home, your country’.”

Thomas said she is optimistic about the next few months “as we build and strengthen our party solidifying our core values and principles and I am equally as optimistic about the future of this country and we united for freedom and work to put Canadians back in the driver’s seat.”

Poilievre had strong support from Alberta Conservative members, earning 4,239 out of 5,062 votes cast in the Foothills region south of Calgary.

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