(OTTAWA) Ontario Conservative MP Leslyn Lewis says she’s confident Pierre Poilievre will ensure all voices in the party caucus are heard, amid calls for him to appoint Ms.me Lewis as spokesperson.
Posted at 5:11 p.m.
Updated at 9:02 p.m.
Mme Lewis ran in the recent Tory leadership race and finished a distant third in the first round of voting which ended in a landslide victory for Mr Poilievre.
She comes from the social conservative wing of the party. She is “pro-life” and repeatedly attacked Mr. Poilievre during the race for not talking about abortion.
Mr Poilievre is now facing calls from some anti-abortion organizations to appoint Mrme Lewis as spokesperson in his opposition cabinet as a sign of respect for the social conservative base of the party.
The new leader has already named those who will fill positions in his inner circle, but Tory MPs expect him to announce new appointments for his shadow cabinet after the Thanksgiving weekend.
In a brief scrum in Ottawa on Tuesday, Mr.me Lewis said she has spoken to Mr Poilievre since the end of the race last month and that “he spoke little and listened a lot”.
“He wanted to hear what was on my heart and he was very respectful,” said the Ontario MP.
Asked about the next role that could be entrusted to him, Ms.me Lewis recalled that “it is important that Pierre puts the right people in the right chairs”.
Mme Lewis also ran for the leadership of the party in 2020, when Erin O’Toole became leader. She had once again finished third. In 2021, she was elected as the MP for Haldimand-Norfolk, but Mr O’Toole had not given her a role as spokesperson.
Her removal from the shadow cabinet had displeased many social conservatives, who openly criticized Mr O’Toole until his own MPs voted to remove him from office last February.
Mr. Poilievre has promised that a Conservative government of which he is prime minister will not introduce or pass legislation restricting abortion. He also reiterated that he would continue to allow MPs from his party to vote freely on matters of conscience.
Commonalities and differences
Like Mr. Poilievre, Mr.me Lewis is a popular figure within the party base.
Both supported the “Freedom Convoy” demonstration that took place last winter in downtown Ottawa. During the race, they both met individually with Warrant Officer James Topp, an Army reservist who is facing a court-martial for speaking out publicly, while wearing his uniform, against the requirement for members of the military to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
However, some positions of Mme Lewis raised eyebrows among party members, such as his attacks directed at the World Economic Forum. The international non-governmental organization has become the target of conspiracy theories throughout the pandemic.
During his first weeks as leader, Mr. Poilievre hammered home his economic message on tackling inflation and the cost of living, which he has made a priority for the Conservatives.
Besides Mme Lewis, Mr. Poilievre must also decide if he will give a position to Scott Aitchison, an MP from Ontario who finished last in the leadership race.
There are currently 118 Conservative MPs in the House of Commons, including the leader. Mr. Poilievre had the support of 62 of them during the leadership race, giving him a long list of candidates to form his shadow cabinet.