Jamie Ellerton, a Conservative strategist who worked for past leader Erin O’Toole, said Poilievre is likely to hang on to the leadership at this point — although a possible Liberal majority call could complicate things.

“I think he has rock-solid support among the party membership,” Ellerton said in an interview.

Other Conservatives say Poilievre’s future is to be determined, given the Liberals will live to see another day and victory slipped through his hands.

“This is a big loss to a tired government that’s been in power for 10 years,” one senior Conservative source who worked for Poilievre in the past told CBC News.

“The guy couldn’t do what needed to be done. He utterly refused to acknowledge that the ballot box question had changed to the bitter end,” the source said, referring to the U.S. trade war.