To Canadians, Pierre Poilievre is a Conservative politician doing battle with Justin Trudeau and his Liberals. But being the leader of a political party also carries administrative and managerial responsibilities. Most of these are delegated, though it’s Poilievre that sets the tone and must own the decisions. Political parties like to keep their internal affairs out of the limelight, although this is easier said than done when nominations are concerned.
One of the first nomination battles the Conservative Party had under Poilievre’s leadership was in Oxford, a mostly rural southwestern Ontario riding. Dave MacKenzie, who had held the seat for the Conservatives since 2004, retired in January 2023, leaving a vacancy in a safe Conservative seat. MacKenzie wanted the seat to go to his daughter, Deb Tait, a city councillor in Woodstock, Ontario. But she lacked a base of support. Gerrit Van Dorland, a social conservative activist, appeared to be the clear favourite in terms of membership sales, given his local connections and ties to pro-life groups with strong support in the riding. Arpan Khanna, an Ontario co-chair of Poilievre’s campaign, appeared to many to be the party’s choice. He was a well-connected up-and-comer who had been involved with the Conservatives for years and was especially close to Poilievre’s friend and colleague Andrew Scheer.
