Infighting, lack of diversity among pitfalls of Conservative’s 2021 election campaign: source

The Conservative caucus is expected to hear details today about how their 2021 election campaign ended in a defeat, with one source telling CTV News that party infighting and a lack of candidate diversity were among the pitfalls.

The source, who has direct knowledge of the review led by former Alberta MP James Cumming, said infighting during two leadership races in less than five years has resulted in a loss of trust among voters.

“[Voters] can’t trust a political party to govern if they can’t govern themselves and voters are worried that this infighting can lead to key policy shifts on the economy, and social issues,” the source said.

Also expected to be outlined as an area of improvement is the need to better acquaint voters with the leader and his senior team.

“[O’Toole] still isn’t a known commodity but there’s a lot about his experience that’s worth talking about.”

While not new to the political scene – he’s been an MP since 2012 – he’s a fresh face to any voter not keeping tabs on the Conservative frontbench. Throughout the campaign, he touted his military experience and business acumen but sought to remind voters that at the end of the day, he’s an everyday Canadian from a small manufacturing town.

The source said the review recommends increasing in-person events to gain recognition.

The Conservatives failed to increase their seat count in 2021 and lost votes in key western ridings where support is usually steady. That dip in popularity was attributed, in part, to the rise in traction of the People’s Party of Canada and diverted efforts to try to win over voters in urban centres.

The need to recruit more diverse candidates is also listed as a priority, the source said, as well as more effective outreach to ethnic communities.

“The party needs to do a better job communicating with communities in their first language and using platforms and mediums that those communities use, in culturally appropriate ways,” the source said.

These findings and more are set to be presented to caucus by Cumming today, as well as to National Council and the Conservative fund.

O’Toole has a scheduled press conference at 5 p.m. EST.

When announcing the review the day after the election, O’Toole said it would help the party in “building towards victory next time.”

“We have a busy session ahead in the House of Commons. And if we take Justin Trudeau at his word, we may be back to the polls in the next 18 months,” he said at the time.