Leader Pierre Poilievre has avoided weighing in publicly on the infighting, while former campaign manager Fred DeLorey said members are trying to define what a Conservative is and warned that caucus discipline is weak. The tension is visible in public spats between MPs such as Jamil Jivani, who travelled to Washington for trade talks, Dean Allison, who launched a vaccine‑injury inquiry, and Leslyn Lewis, who argued with fellow Conservative Michelle Rempel‑Garner over Alberta’s data‑centre strategy.

The dispute is not only about policy. Influencers that Poilievre invited to campaign events have sparked backlash. Former Alberta premier Jason Kenney compared these online “anger merchants” to the supporters of Donald Trump’s MAGA movement, warning that their style may only thrive in opposition.

Pollster David Coletto found that 38 % of Conservative supporters hold a positive view of Donald Trump, a figure that signals a deep split within the party’s base. The combination of a contentious trade war with the United States and competing regional priorities makes it harder for the party to present a united message.

If the Conservatives cannot reconcile the pressure from the trade dispute with the pull of new right‑wing voices, their “big tent” may continue to shrink, leaving the party vulnerable in the next federal election.