As Ambrose Named Tory Leader, a Tale of Two Caucus Meetings

Parliament Hill hosted government and opposition caucus meetings Thursday, a day after the Liberal cabinet was sworn in to office in Ottawa. The gatherings signalled two distinct vibes; one of a wake, the other a cocktail mixer.

The defeated Conservative Party began arriving late morning as throngs of journalists waited in anticipation for opportunities to, for once, freely talk to MPs from the Tory caucus.

With tight control over the party's media access lifted, perhaps some would offer reflection on why the Canadian public booted them from government.

Some, like ousted Manitoba Tory MP Steven Fletcher from Charleswood-St James-Assiniboia-Headingley said the public just didn't like Conservative Leader Stephen Harper -- despite three consecutive election victories.

"There was a lot of anti-Harper -- irrational anti-Harper -- feeling," Fletcher said. "It was emotion over reality. What can you do?"

There was a lot of talk about positivity and tone, though little could be seen on the faces of Tory MPs.

Conservatives chose Rona Ambrose as their interim leader Thursday afternoon. Earlier in the day Ambrose said she's looking forward to her time in opposition.

She stressed the campaign and the days of the Harper government are over.

"I think it's important to reflect on what went wrong and learn from that," Ambrose said earlier in the day. "But also it's important to move forward, I have a lot of optimism and a lot of confidence about where we are."

Later Joe Oliver reiterated his comments the Conservatives hid their front bench too much during the election.

Harper slinked into the caucus room without fanfare. Staff told journalists he wouldn't be taking questions.

Fresh faces on the Hill

Liberal members began arriving in early afternoon, many of the newer ones wandering in with bewildered expressions as media looked them up and down in attempt to figure out which were MPs.

Underneath the arched ceiling of Confederation Hall something resembling a cocktail party formed as the afternoon sun beamed through the windows.

New MPs loosely mingled with media and introduced themselves. In some cases reporters chatted casually to those they've known a long time, introducing them to colleagues.

Former Hamilton mayor and sports broadcaster Bob Bratina joked and mixed with media, commenting on the switch from the mayor's chair to Canadian of government.

"(It's) A big, giant learning curve," he said. "We continually are told 'ask questions' so we'll be asking a lot of questions. I will, anyway."

Bratina said infrastructure for big cities will be one area he will be particularly interested in, underlining cities can't just foot the bill on their own.

Shortly after media gathered in front of the Liberal caucus room door awaiting Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

The Prime Minister stopped and said a few words about the character and make up of his party before strolling in to caucus. Trudeau's entrance noticeably contrasted with Conservatives' years of staring straight ahead and avoiding the media.

Reporters were then invited to follow and listen to his opening remarks to caucus.

Across the hall the door to the Conservative caucus room -- a door pierced by a bullet in the Oct. 22, 2014 incident that increased the amount of security chatter by the Tories -- remained closed. What happened inside was left to the imaginations of the press gallery.