Conservative campaign manager Jenni Byrne says she won’t run the next campaign

Jenni Byrne waits to appear before the procedure and House affairs committee meeting on Thursday, May 11, 2023, in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

OTTAWA — The Conservative party will have a new campaign manager in the next federal election, now that Jenni Byrne says she’s stepping back from the role she held this spring.

Byrne, who remains a key adviser to party leader Pierre Poilievre, also ran campaigns for former prime minister Stephen Harper in 2011 and 2015.

She has been the target of criticism since April 28, with some Conservatives calling for her to be fired after the party’s fourth straight election loss to the Liberals.

Byrne recently gave a wide-ranging interview to a podcast called Beyond a Ballot, which says its mission is to get more women interested in politics.

She says the decision not to focus the Conservative campaign on U.S. President Donald Trump and his tariffs was the right one.

Byrne says the Liberals won because Prime Minister Mark Carney “lied” about his ability to negotiate with Trump, while the Conservatives maintained the voter base that polls showed they had in January.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 8, 2025.

Sarah Ritchie, The Canadian Press