It’s not hard to understand why the Trudeau Liberals lag in the polls. Their policies don’t align with the priorities of many voters. Uncontrolled immigration has exacerbated the housing shortage. Massive increases in federal government spending helped fuel the surge in inflation. Taxes increase, even as per capita income stagnates. Our armed forces are in crisis. Canada’s influence on the world stage has dwindled.
Many commentators seem to think that a Liberal rout in the next election is a given. There is one person who might change their fortunes.
Pierre Poilievre.
I’ve never met the man. He may very well be a nice guy. His admirable wife loves him, which makes me suspect that his private persona is rather different from the image he presents in public. But that public persona has a nasty edge.
Poilievre filled an important role as an opposition back-bencher. He was a truly effective attack dog with the skills to get under the Liberals’ skin. Think of Liberal Mark Holland when he was an opposition MP.
The role of the leader should be to present a positive vision, to attract voters from outside of the base. Personal attacks on Trudeau and Singh are low-hanging fruit – there is plenty to criticize. But I think Poilievre’s demeanor is why Canadian’s aren’t warming to him. The Conservative lead in the polls is far more about wanting to get rid of the Liberals than any affection for the Tory leader. Unless Poilievre can change that, can make his image a bit kinder, the Conservative lead in the polls is vulnerable.
It’s far too late for Poilievre to become a “happy warrior”, as Ronald Reagan was described. It is not too late for him to soften his tone. A focus on policy, on how a Conservative government would make things better for average people, without calling Trudeau “wacko”. Without calling Singh a liar and a fake. As much as those attacks resonate with the base, they do nothing to attract the basic polite Canadian who voted for other parties in the past.