Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre at the national convention for the Conservative Party, in Calgary, on Jan. 30.Jennifer Gauthier/Reuters

Pierre Poilievre garnered rousing applause Friday night when he told delegates to the Conservative convention in Calgary the party won’t change its principles.

“We won the debate in the last election on every single one of the big issues, on carbon taxes, inflation, housing, resources, crime, drugs, and soon we will be proven right once again on the wasteful and insane Liberal gun grab,” he said.

Then he joked that Liberals called Conservative policies “scary” but eventually adopted them.

“The best part of being Conservative is that eventually everyone admits that we were right all along,” he said.

It was more than a joke. It was a theme. The Conservative Leader kept suggesting he had it right all along.

Poilievre wins 87.4% in leadership vote, cements hold over Conservative Party

There was a change in tone. At this convention, Mr. Poilievre’s criticism of Liberals was capped with a theme of hope and optimism. He ditched three-word slogans. He spoke with emotion about his family. He was warmer.

But the substance was the same. There was no shift, no pivot, no updated agenda. It could have........

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