I’m not sure there was a “purple wave,” but the People’s Party of Canada succeeded in disrupting the 2021 federal election enough that it isn’t the punchline many treated it as after the last election.

At the time I’m writing this, the PPC has snagged 5.1 per cent of the ballots cast, which is more than triple its 2019 showing. While this didn’t give the PPC anything in the way of seats, there were enough close races that the party’s influence can’t be ignored.

I’ve been paying close attention to the PPC for months, seeing the party had tapped into an anger, or at least fatigue, with lockdowns, mask mandates, and fears of forced vaccination, for which no other political party has been providing an outlet. Far from simply being a home for disgruntled Conservative voters, the PPC had a secret sauce this time around to attract a new – and often bizarre – coalition.

As I’ve written about in the past, one can’t say the PPC’s support came from traditional Conservative, or even conservative, voters. Opposition to vaccine mandates, and in some cases vaccines, comes from different places on the political spectrum, and folks may well have been prepared to overlook disagreements on immigration or supply management, say, because of the PPC’s stance on these issues.

This makes it challenging to concoct a convenient “spoiler” narrative by simply adding Conservative and PPC vote totals together to see if that makes the difference between victory or not.

Whatever the effect of the PPC in individual races, its rise signals a problem for the Conservatives, and the political class in general. There are a number of people who feel unrepresented, or even marginalized, by mainstream political parties and discourse.

In some ridings, notably Conservative strongholds in rural Ontario and Alberta, the PPC managed to pull in 10, 12, 15 per cent of the vote. You may think this is insignificant against Conservatives winning with 50 per cent of the vote, but I’d argue the Conservatives – and all parties – need to pay attention.

If the criteria for inclusion in this year’s federal leaders’ debates hold next election, the PPC leader will be on the podium alongside the others. One of the criteria is that a party must have taken at least four per cent of the vote in the most recent election. The PPC cleared that, even if it didn’t live up to some of the more optimistic pollsters’ forecasts.

The sheer volume of journalists who simply refused to cover the PPC, even as its numbers were on the rise, is a testament to how otherized its views and those of its members have become to the political and media elites.

I find the Bloc Quebecois’ views to be rather reprehensible, but I would never advocate their exclusion from the political process. I find the Green Party of Canada to be the longest running gag in Canadian politics, yet I accept it has a place at the the table.

Oddly, Green leader Annamie Paul was the only leader to stand up for the PPC’s right to be included in the official debates, albeit in a roundabout way that didn’t actually mention the PPC. Even so, credit where it’s due.

It’s worth noting that the PPC’s momentum is not necessarily linear. Some have speculated in the absence of vaccine passports and lockdowns – its primary driver of success this time around – it may not be able to replicate this week’s results. It’s also a party that seems built around the personality and charisma of its first and only leader, Maxime Bernier.

If the Conservatives have a course correction and turf Erin O’Toole and replace him with a more conservative option, it’s possible that could take some wind out of Bernier’s sails too – especially with his repeated commitment to never merge with the Conservative Party of Canada, which he left three years ago to found the PPC.

Bernier has not stood for a leadership election or review in this party, though he indicated in an interview with me that after the election would be a good time to hold such a review. There doesn’t appear to be anyone on deck looking to take over the upstart party, but that isn’t to say it doesn’t have a future.

The question is simply what that future looks like.