OTTAWA — Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre will not have a seat in the next Parliament after a stunning upset by his Liberal opponent, raising questions about his ability to continue as party leader and the role he will play when the House of Commons reconvenes.
It also raises questions about where he will live.
After serving as MP for more than 20 years, Poilievre lost to Liberal Bruce Fanjoy in the riding of Carleton.
In his concession speech on election night, Poilievre pledged that Conservatives will "do our constitutional duty of holding government to account and proposing better alternatives."
But the duty of leading the official Opposition in Parliament rests with a sitting MP.
Lyle Skinner, a constitutional lawyer who specializes in parliamentary law, said the role is not explicitly defined in Canadian law but it is "hard-coded" into our system of responsible government, where the government has to defend its record through questions posed by the Opposition leader.
"If you don't have a seat in the House of Commons, that constitutional function (of Opposition leader) is delinked and it breaks down," he said.
When Mark Carney became Liberal leader in March, he was named prime minister despite the fact that he did not have a seat in the House — a very different situation.
"The office of the prime minister is actually an office of the Crown, and so it's appointed by the governor general," Skinner said.
Poilievre and the Conservatives will need to name an MP to lead the party in the House of Commons when Parliament resumes, likely in late May.
Being Opposition leader comes with several perks, including Stornoway, the eight-bedroom official residence where Poilievre has lived since he took over the Conservative leadership. According to the Official Residences Act, that home is designated for the use of the leader of the Opposition in the House of Commons.
Skinner said there's some flexibility and the person who takes over the role of Opposition leader in the House could choose not to move into Stornoway. But he said it's not clear in law how long such a situation could go on.
By losing his seat, Poilievre also loses his salary as a member of Parliament, which would be $209,800 this year, along with the $99,900 top-up afforded to the Opposition leader.
Fanjoy won in Carleton by a margin of 4,315 votes in Monday's election. The political rookie tirelessly knocked on doors in his bid to unseat Poilievre, saying the riding deserved better.
In an interview with The Canadian Press before the election, Fanjoy said he felt confident he had a shot against Poilievre.
"I'm not sure whether he doesn't understand that he's in a race here for his seat, or if he's just trying to pretend that it's not happening," he said at the time.
Poilievre was first elected in 2004 and has won in the suburban Ottawa riding six subsequent times over the last 21 years.
He took the Conservative party reins in 2022, winning the leadership by a wide margin on the first ballot. He has a reputation for being a very effective Opposition leader, with a penchant for pointed attacks in question period.
He has also proven to be a divisive figure. Polls consistently showed he had negative personal approval ratings, particularly among women.
Sharon DeSousa, president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada, said she's not surprised by Fanjoy's victory. Carleton is home to a large number of public servants and Poilievre ran on a pledge to make deep cuts to government bureaucracy.
"They took a stance that they're going to cut more than 17,000 federal public sector jobs per year," she said, adding the figure seemed "made up."
DeSousa said she felt Poilievre was "disconnected from his own constituency."
Another factor in Fanjoy's win was the support of NDP voters. In 2021, the NDP candidate got 8,164 votes. This year, the New Democrat candidate got only 1,222 votes.
That mirrors the results of the election overall — which saw the NDP lose official party status and drop to just seven seats across the country after a large number of its supporters turned to the Liberals.
Poilievre can remain as Conservative leader even if he is not the leader of the Opposition, though that decision will rest with the Conservative party.
He could seek a different seat in a byelection if one should become vacant.
Even if a seat opens up, it could be months until a byelection is actually held. The government has up to 180 days, or six months, after a seat is vacated to call a byelection, and the vote must be held within 50 days of that.
In his concession speech early Tuesday morning, Poilievre congratulated Prime Minister Mark Carney on forming government and indicated he would continue as Conservative leader.
"It will be an honour to continue to fight for you and to be a champion of your cause," he told a crowd of supporters at a downtown Ottawa convention centre.
He spoke several hours before the votes were fully counted in his own riding, but he trailed all night.
The Conservative party has not responded to a request for comment on the results in Carleton. Poilievre did not speak to reporters on Tuesday.
Former party leader and re-elected MP Andrew Scheer tweeted his support for Poilievre to stay on as leader, citing the party's gains in popular vote and seat count.
The Tories won 144 seats and just over 41 per cent of the popular vote, according to Elections Canada results on Tuesday afternoon. The last time a conservative party had that high of a percentage was in 1988. The modern Conservative party was formed in 2003.
"His inspirational leadership has brought more people into the Conservative movement," Scheer said in a social media post Tuesday afternoon.
"His continued leadership will ensure we finish the job next time."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 29, 2025.
Sarah Ritchie, The Canadian Press
