Northern Tories rally behind new Conservative leader
Northern Ontario Tories are hoping new leader Pierre Poilievre will help them build on the momentum they're seeing across the region.
Supporters are already lining up to get in behind Poilievre, including former leadership rival Parry Sound-Muskoka MP Scott Aitchison.
"I'm immensely proud of the race that I ran and what my team put together," Aitchison told CTV News.
"You run to win but I think it was a bit of a long shot for me all along. I'm just pleased that Pierre won with the decisive victory that he did."
To win on the first ballot with 68 per cent of the vote, as Poilievre did, is a strong vote of confidence.
"I think he does have an appeal for Northerners," Aitchison said.
"So many of the issues that are traditional NDP voters, what they're concerned about, the NDP isn't speaking to those issues in a way that resonates. And I think Conservatives are and I think we can win more of those seats."
Many people who were skeptical have already noticed a shift in Poilievre's tone, he added.
"I think you've seen his tone become dramatically more prime ministerial," Aitchison said.
"His victory speech that night I think was excellent. His comments to caucus struck the right tone and in terms of policy, he's got the right policy. I think he's demonstrating policy that will actually deliver solutions."
Dr. Ian Symington, past riding president and Conservative candidate in Sudbury, was on vacation at the time of the win. However, he said he was pleased with the results.
"I think I've been telling everyone that's great to have a decisive win because it leaves little room for argument, it was a big percentage that he won by," said Symington.
He said Sudbury voted more than 75 per cent in favour of Poilievre, while the numbers in Nickel Belt were even higher at 80 per cent.
"The members are very pleased with him with the voting numbers that we're seeing with the individual polling," Symington said.
"I think all of the issues that we're seeing in northern Ontario with inflation, rising interest rates, affordable housing, those are things that speak to people who feel they've been left behind … and his message resonates with people including those in northern Ontario."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Work stoppage possible as WestJet issues lockout notice to maintenance engineers' union
A lockout notice issued by WestJet to a union representing aircraft maintenance engineers could result in a work stoppage next week.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Auston Matthews was back on the ice with his teammates Saturday.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Feds hope to table foreign interference legislation next week: LeBlanc
Democratic Institutions Minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to table legislation this week to help the federal government address foreign interference, but he wouldn't say whether the proposal will include a foreign agent registry.