Conservative leader Andrew Scheer made a campaign stop in suburban Hamilton Wednesday evening to meet up with local candidates and rally a crowd of supporters.

It was a regional affair as hundreds of people packed into the Egg & I Restaurant in Ancaster, part of the Hamilton West-Ancaster-Dundas riding, where they clapped and roared for a flurry of Conservative candidates.

Scheer stood among those gathered and continued to decry the actions of Liberal leader Justin Trudeau and tout the Conservative platform. He called out the Liberal leader for the SNC-Lavalin affair, the carbon tax, and his lack of support for small business owners.

"I will always defend [small business owners] and allow them to do what they do best: grow and provide jobs in society," Scheer said.

But one business owner just next door to the rally was left fuming.

Mark Hodge, owner of Pub Fiction in Ancaster, said that he was excited when Conservative party organizers spoke with him about throwing a campaign event at his pub. Hodge said that while he got backlash on social media, he believed anyone should be welcomed into his restaurant.

But at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, about an hour before the event was scheduled to start, he received multiple phone calls telling him that the event would be moving elsewhere. Hodge said he only found out it was moved to the restaurant next door when people began lining up outside.

Mark Hodge, owner of Pub Fiction in Ancaster, stands on his empty patio as people pile in next door for the Conservative event that was scheduled to happen at his bar. (Christine Rankin)

He said this change of plans was frustrating for him as a small business owner.

"You constantly hear parties on the news and they're campaigning for small business," he said.

"But it's very frustrating when the people that are out campaigning and saying that they're going to do better for your country and your province, come within 45 minutes of bringing you some business and just throw it in the garbage can and go somewhere else like you're disposable."

Hodge said he was expecting his pub to be at max capacity that night, which is around 140 people.

A spokesperson for the Conservative party said that the event had been moved to accommodate the amount of people showing up. Hodge also confirmed that the party paid its bill, but also hoped to pick up extra business from the crowd in the pub.

The campaign manager for HWAD candidate Bert Laranjo and Flamborough-Glanbrook candidate David Sweet told CBC Hamilton that the party's tour office paid double their bill that night. He said around 60 people from the local campaign met up at Pub Fiction after the event for drinks.

He also noted that there have been many local Conservative events there in the past.

Hodge had increased the amount of staff to come in for the night and prepared around $700 in platter food, which he called "unsalvageable."

He said he was happy for the Egg & I, but that the whole ordeal was "disappointing."

Regional affair for Conservative candidates

Next door, Hamilton West-Ancaster-Dundas Conservative candidate Bert Laranjo welcomed people to the riding and listed off candidates from the surrounding areas who were at the event or whose supporters had turned out.

They included Peter Dyakowski for Hamilton Mountain, David Sweet for Flamborough-Glanbrook, Phil McColeman for Brantford-Brant, Monica Ciriello for Hamilton Centre, Nikki Kaur for Hamilton East-Stoney creek, and Dean Allison for Niagara West, and Diane Finley for Haldimand-Norfolk, as well as former MP for Cambridge, Gary Goodyear.

Cars lined the street and over 100 people were lined up outside of the venue waiting to get into the restaurant to hear Scheer speak. (Christine Rankin)

Scheer talked to attendees about turning "Justin Trudeau's Canada of 'no' into a Canada of 'yes,'" which he said would mean a ''yes' for the energy sector and big projects like a national energy corridor.

Scheer also addressed talks about a coalition government and said that the "only thing that can stop a Trudeau-NDP coalition is a Conservative majority government."

His stop comes hours after he spoke to residents in Essex on Wednesday, where he criticized Trudeau and Liberal Toronto Centre candidate Bill Morneau.

It was also the same day as the Liberal candidate for the riding, Filomena Tassi, held a funeral for her mother.

Scheer offered condolences to Tassi at the earlier event and told CBC reporter Katie Simpson that he made a charity donation at the family's request.

Hamilton West-Ancaster-Dundas Conservative candidate Bert Laranjo welcomed people to the area as supporters filling the restaurant chanted his name. (Christine Rankin)

The HWAD riding is fairly new — it was created in 2012 and in its first federal election in 2015, voters elected Tassi as their MP.

Tassi walked away with 47.7 per cent of valid ballots, with the conservative candidate Vincent Samuel around 10,000 ballots behind her.

Candidates in the HWAD include Laranjo for the Conservatives, Tassi for the Liberals, Yousaf Malik for the NDP, Victoria Galea for the Green party, and Daniel Ricottone for the People's Party of Canada. Spencer John Rocchi is also running, under the satirical Rhinoceros Party.