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Ontario Premier Doug Ford says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre may have secured the overwhelming support of his party in a recent leadership vote, but cautioned that elections are not won on the convention room floor.

Poilievre secured 87 per cent of the delegates in Calgary last month at the party’s convention, pulling in more than what former prime minister Stephen Harper achieved at his own leadership review back in 2005.

“You don’t win elections at conventions. You win elections across the country, so let’s see what happens if the prime minister decides to call an election,” Ford said on Tuesday. 

Ford and Poilievre’s strained relationship burst into the open during the last federal election when the premier said he wouldn’t publicly support any of the federal Conservative candidates running in Ontario.

WATCH | ‘I don’t divulge our conversations,’ Ford says:

‘I don’t divulge our conversations,’ Ford says when pressed on election talk with Carney

In an exchange with reporters on Tuesday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford was pressed about a reported conversation he had with Prime Minister Mark Carney about a potential early election. ‘If they do decide to call an election … has nothing to do with me,’ said Ford, who was also asked about Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre.

During the last federal election campaign, Ford’s former campaign manager Kory Teneycke also accused Poilievre’s team of “campaign malpractice” for failing to adapt to the threats made by U.S. President Donald Trump.

When asked about Teneycke’s remarks at the time, Ford said “the truth hurts.” 

Despite recent efforts to help bring the two leaders together, the premier, who has won three consecutive majority governments in Ontario, said he hasn’t offered Poilievre any political advice.

‘I don’t divulge our conversations’

Ford said he did speak with Prime Minister Mark Carney recently about the possibility of calling an early federal election, but refused to provide details.

“I don’t divulge our conversations but I’ll be very frank with you, when you get 13 premiers in a room, politics comes up and politics of every type comes up. That came up,” Ford said.

Canada’s 13 premiers gathered in Ottawa last month, which included a meeting with Carney.

On Monday the Globe and Mail reported that Ford, who has developed a close relationship with Carney in the last year, spoke with the prime minister about calling an early election because the country needs the stability of a majority government. 

Asked Tuesday for details of that conversation, the Ontario premier said there were “only two people in the room, me and him” and what was said will remain between the two leaders.

Ford said that whether there is a spring election or not is up to Carney and his caucus to decide but he wants to see “stability across the country.”

“I’ve always said I don’t care about political stripes. I’ll work with anyone, I think I proved that. I don’t care if it’s a Liberal federal government or an NDP mayor, I’ll work with anyone that has the best interests of Ontario at heart,” Ford said. 

Federal Conservatives are working to smooth over Poilievre’s relationship with Ford and Nova Scotia Progressive Conservative Premier Tim Houston. 

In a statement issued last month, federal Conservative campaign manager Steve Outhouse said he believes unifying conservatives is key to winning the next federal election. 

“As an Atlantic Canadian who has worked on campaigns across the country, I have a great respect for all parts of our conservative voter coalition. Each part has its strengths, and I am looking forward to working with all parts of the conservative movement to win the next election — whenever that is,” he said.

Ford and Houston stand next to one another giving the thumbs-up to the camera while wearing team Canada jerseys. During the last Ontario election, Ford was introduced at a campaign event by a political ally, Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press)

Meanwhile in Ottawa, sources told CBC News on Monday that federal Liberals and Conservatives have been working on potential deals that could end parliamentary gridlock and potentially avoid a second federal election in 12 months.

Carney’s Liberals are still three seats shy of a majority, and the government faced challenges finding support to pass their legislative agenda during the fall sitting.

But this sitting may be different. Last Wednesday, Carney and Poilievre sat down for a one-on-one meeting. Afterward, the prime minister said on social media: “this is an important time to be working together, and to pass the legislation Canadians are counting on.”

Poilievre said he pushed for lower taxes, a smaller deficit and “policies to make Canada affordable, safe and self-reliant.”