Pierre Poilievre is now leader of the Conservative Party of Canada after an impressive leadership campaign which he led from start to finish, attracting crowds of supporters larger than those for any current Canadian political leader — including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Poilievre’s promises of a smaller, more efficient federal government, leaving people with more money in their pockets and more freedom to make their own choices about what is best for them and their families has clearly struck a chord with many Canadians.
With the Trudeau Liberals at the opposite end of the political spectrum — believers in the nanny state, along with their partners in the NDP — Canadians should have a clear choice in the next election in 2025, assuming the Liberal/NDP accord holds until then.
If it does, the Liberals will be ripe for defeat — in power for a decade by then, led by an unpopular PM heading an unpopular government, with an ever-expanding list of political baggage, scandals and broken promises.
Don’t forget, Trudeau lost the popular vote in the last two elections. Most voters believe, according to a recent Leger/Postmedia poll, that he has divided the nation because he “often favours certain groups and regions of the country over others, which has created national unity issues.”
Poilievre’s first order of business will be to reach out to the supporters of the candidates he defeated in the leadership race, but with the understanding this works both ways.
That is, his leadership opponents have to accept that he won and not try to sabotage the leader from within, as Conservatives have done so many times in the past.
The last election demonstrated Canadians don’t want a Conservative leader who is “Liberal lite”.
They want a Conservative leader with clear, understandable policies aimed at making their lives better and more affordable.
Poilievre now needs to put meat on the bones of his promises to improve the lives of Canadians by increasing their spending power through less and more efficient government.
He can begin by following his own advice that: “If you want to be successful in Conservative politics you have to stand for … ideas that excite large numbers of people. Electricians, mechanics, carpenters, everyday working people that might not be … fascinated by politics.”
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