Poilievre says he won't be changing his leadership style after caucus departures

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre gave a blunt response on Wednesday when asked if the recent turmoil in his caucus has caused him to reflect on his leadership style.

"No," he told a press conference in Calgary.

He added that he plans to continue being "the only leader in the country that's fighting for an affordable Canada."

Wednesday's press conference offered reporters their first chance to question Poilievre since the tumultuous week that began with the Liberal government's first budget and ended with his caucus losing two MPs.

It was not the first time he's faced questions about his leadership style. Those questions have become more frequent since the party went from holding a 20-point lead in major polls to losing the April election to the Liberals — and since Poilievre also lost his long-held seat in the Ottawa area to a Liberal challenger.

The events began with Nova Scotia MP Chris d'Entremont joining the minority Liberal government on Nov. 4 just hours after the federal budget was released.

Alberta MP Matt Jeneroux announced his plans to resign last Thursday after days of rumours and speculation suggesting that more floor-crossings may be imminent.

Jeneroux said he spoke with Poilievre after delivering his resignation to Conservative Whip Chris Warkentin and insisted in a media statement that there was "no coercion" involved in his decision.

D'Entremont said Poilievre's leadership style was a factor in his decision to leave after six years as a Conservative MP.

In several interviews since he left, he has accused Warkentin and Opposition House leader Andrew Scheer of barging into his office and yelling at him when the news became public.

Warkentin later denied that version of events in an interview with the Toronto Star.

The party initially responded to CBC with a statement saying d'Entremont "established himself a liar after wilfully deceiving his voters, friends and colleagues."

The Conservatives say d'Entremont left caucus because he was upset he was not named deputy Speaker in the spring.

D'Entremont told The Canadian Press that's not the case. He said he's received "a number of threats via phone, email and social media" since leaving the Conservatives. The Nova Scotia RCMP is investigating and d'Entremont said he's had extra security in place.

D'Entremont also told CBC he knew of other caucus members who had been thinking of leaving when he made his decision last week.

Poilievre brushed those concerns aside on Wednesday, saying he does not think more MPs will leave the caucus.

In response to questions about the turmoil, the Conservative leader read lengthy quotes from a recent statement d'Entremont made in the House of Commons criticizing Prime Minister Mark Carney's government and its failure to lower the cost of groceries.

Poilievre described the budget as a "credit card budget that will drive up your cost of food, housing and fuel."

"It's almost unthinkable, no one thought anyone could spend more money than Justin Trudeau, but Mark Carney came along and said, 'Hold my beer,'" he said.

Carney and the Liberals are now two votes shy of being able to pass legislation without opposition support. They will face a third test of confidence in the House of Commons next week when the main budget motion comes up for a vote.

The NDP and Bloc Québécois voted with the Liberals on the first of three confidence votes last week, preventing the government from toppling as they rejected an amendment from the Conservatives. The Tory caucus got cheers from across the aisle when they sided with the government on the second confidence vote.

Jeneroux didn't participate in either vote.

It is not clear how the opposition will line up for the final confidence test.

Poilievre also faces a key test of confidence in the next few months. Conservative members will vote in a leadership review at their convention in Calgary at the end of January.

Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh