OTTAWA–Stephen Harper is quietly counselling Conservatives to remain calm after Andrew Scheer’s election loss on Monday.

The former prime minister is urging senior Conservative operatives not to rush to judgment on Scheer and his inner circle while the party reviews what went wrong with the campaign, according to two sources familiar with Harper’s thinking.

Harper is encouraging Conservatives to give Scheer the benefit of a doubt in the lead-up to the party’s convention next April, where the rookie leader faces a vote on his leadership.

Harper is “quieting the waters,” one long-time Conservative insider told the Star, reminding party members that they have “a bunch of time” and shouldn’t be rushed into a “rash decision.”

“Ultimately, the date with destiny is going to be the vote at the convention, and Scheer’s going to do well or poorly at it depending on how he answers the questions we’re talking about,” the insider said.

After the Scheer campaign’s poor performance in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada, there are plenty of questions floating around Tory circles.

In a live question and answer on Facebook Wednesday, Scheer acknowledged his campaign fell short of the mark and said work had already begun on reviewing what went wrong.

“Obviously we’re disappointed with the results. And we were expecting, and hopeful for, a lot more Canadians supporting our party especially in some key areas,” Scheer said.

“I’ve already had meetings with some key officials that were responsible for the campaign, and we’re going to have a thorough review. We’re going to go through everything and say ‘look, we made some great progress, but we need to do better next time.’”

While there’s general goodwill towards Scheer, Conservative operatives direct a lot of anger toward the leader’s tight-knit inner circle, which is viewed as far too insular, according to insiders who were granted anonymity to discuss internal party matters.

Senior figures within the Conservative movement feel cut out, and blame Scheer’s team for not reaching out to the party’s various branches.

“It was like Richard Nixon or something … These guys didn’t trust anyone,” said one well-connected Tory of the Scheer team’s approach after he won the party’s leadership in 2017.

But while some factions within Conservative circles are sharpening their knives, others like Harper are encouraging restraint while the party undertakes a review of what went wrong in the campaign. That review will likely be presented at the party’s spring convention in Toronto.

While the Conservatives’ presence in the House of Commons grew from 97 to 122 seats in the election, a hoped-for breakthrough in Ontario and Quebec failed to materialize. Those provinces — and particularly the suburban ridings of the GTA — were seen as crucial to Harper’s electoral success.

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A Conservative close to the Scheer campaign told the Star that Scheer needs to show he can deliver votes in more regions than just the party’s heartland of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba if he wants to remain leader.

“I think he’s going to have some trouble anywhere east of Manitoba. He’s going to have trouble convincing the party that this isn’t a Western-centric party for the so-cons,” said the source, referring to the social conservative movement.

Robert Benzie is the Star's Queen's Park bureau chief and a reporter covering Ontario politics. Follow him on Twitter: @robertbenzie

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