Conservatives to hold national convention Jan. 29-31 in Calgary

The Conservative Party of Canada's next national convention will be held in Calgary from Jan. 29 to 31, the party announced Friday.

Stephen Barber, president of the party's national council, said in a statement that he was "thrilled" to host Conservatives from across the country in what he said was "a dynamic, entrepreneurial and growing city that reflects this Conservative Party."

The party said Prime Minister Mark Carney is on the "same destructive Liberal path" of overspending, over-taxing and over-regulating the lives of Canadians — and that the convention will be an opportunity to address that.

Conservatives across the country will use the convention to "identify areas of growth and opportunity to continue the incredible momentum we've gained over the last few years," the party said in a statement.

While Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre did manage to increase his party's seat count on election night, boosting his caucus to 144 MPs, he blew a 25-point lead in the polls in the months before the election, and lost his own Ottawa riding of Carleton.

Despite that result, Poilievre announced he would stay on as leader.

When a Conservative leader does not resign following an election loss, the party's constitution requires party members to vote on whether that leader should keep their job at the next national convention.

Having lost his seat to Liberal MP Bruce Fanjoy, Poilievre must win in a byelection in order to re-enter the House and assume the role of Opposition leader.

Poilievre remains leader of the party, but former leader Andrew Scheer is currently filling the role of Opposition leader in the House.

In May, Battle River-Crowfoot MP Damien Kurek said he would step aside to allow Poilievre to run in his Alberta riding, which is considered one of the safest Conservative seats in the country.

Kurek first won the seat of Battle River-Crowfoot in 2019 and was re-elected this year with almost 82 per cent of the vote.

Kurek officially resigned on Tuesday, after the mandatory waiting period following the election had passed.

A byelection can now be called as early as this month, and must be called within 180 days.

While Carney could delay Poilievre's return to the House, the prime minister said following his election victory that he'd call the race to bring the Conservative leader back to the House swiftly.

"I will ensure that it happens as soon as possible. No games, nothing," he said.