Conservative Party headquarters goes quiet after Liberals projected to win election

Preparations are made ahead of the Conservative Party of Canada election night watch party in Ottawa, on Monday, April 28, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby

An early air of optimism at the Conservative party election night headquarters turned grim after many major news networks, including The Canadian Press, projected the Liberals will form the next government.

The party faithful began the night with hopeful signs from Atlantic Canada, where the party picked up one seat from the Liberals and held their incumbents.

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But the mood quickly turned when results started coming in from Quebec, where the Bloc Québécois lost ground to the Liberals and the Conservatives were unable to capitalize on the shift in support.

The Conservative party is hosting its election reception at the Rogers Centre convention hall in the capital’s downtown.

Conservative supporter Joanne Gurman said she’s still hopeful but she can’t understand why people voted Liberal. She said she doesn’t trust Mark Carney.

“I don’t understand why people still want to live in the same nine years, the same over and over again, like nothing is going to change,” she said.

Gurman, who is from Montreal, said she has never been involved in politics before now. She and her family hosted a fundraiser for Poilievre and her daughter and husband have created “anti-Liberal” merchandise they were handing out in Ottawa on Monday night.

Jon and Raquel Gurman proudly showed off their latest products - a hand cream labelled “anti-Liberal rash cream” and antibacterial wipes labelled “anti-Liberal wipes.” Jon said the products are “like political memes.”

“You know when you bump into a Liberal, sometimes they say things that are not very conservative, so I start to get a little bit of a rash,” Raquel said, adding, “It’s a joke!”

Raquel Gurman said that, the results notwithstanding, she hopes to see a better, more prosperous Canada.

“Regardless of what happens, we do have to stick together as Canadians and we have to incorporate our Conservative values with the Liberal party,” she said.

While Canadians wait to see whether the next Parliament will have a majority or minority government, it has become clear the Liberals have benefitted from a collapse in NDP support.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has been praised for broadening and growing his party’s base of support since he took over the leadership in 2022, particularly among young people and newcomers to Canada.

Conservative supporter Mike Booth came out to the event hoping for change Monday night.

“I feel good because I don’t believe the polls and I don’t I believe what’s going on. And if the youth show up to vote, the Liberals lose,” he said on the way into the event.

That was the sentiment among many of the party’s supporters, who pointed to the enthusiastic support for Poilievre’s campaign events as evidence that the polls were missing some voters.

Poilievre capped off his 36-day tour of the country on Sunday with four events, beginning with a rally in Oakville, Ont., and finishing with a stop at a farm in his home riding just outside Ottawa.

The Conservatives focused their election campaign messages on affordability and the cost of living, along with a suite of tough-on-crime policies.

Poilievre largely avoided talking about U.S. President Donald Trump and the tariffs, which were the dominant campaign issues for the Liberals.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 28, 2025