Pierre Poilievre is struggling.
After almost a lifetime in politics … with no other notable business or professional career … Poilievre’s own Ottawa voters tossed him out as their MP in the last federal election.
How embarrassing!
And making it worse, as Conservative Leader, Poilievre snatched defeat from the jaws of victory … the Conservatives losing to the Liberals AGAIN, after leading in the polls by as much as 26 points for many months prior to the April 28 election.
Now, Poilievre is fighting to return to the House of Commons by running in a by-election in one of the safest Conservative seats in Canada: Battle River-Crowfoot.
The previous MP, Damien Kurek, who captured 82.8% of the vote in April, stepped down so Alberta voters could help Leader Poilievre get back into the Commons.
But should they?
Battle River-Crowfoot voters need to ask themselves if they truly believe Polievre could beat Carney next time around?
Carney has generally impressed Canadians quite well since assuming the Liberal leadership after Trudeau.
The latest Nanos poll, published July 1, showed Canadians voicing 52.1% support for Carney, and only 23.2% for Poilievre.
“That represents a sharp decline for the Conservative leader, who has dropped nearly 10 points since the week before the election,” the Economic Times noted.
And if Carney manages to come up with a fair trade deal with the Mad Hatter down south, his popularity would likely rise even more.
Alberta voters should realize Poilievre clearly is clearly not as personally popular with Canadians as polls had indicated; it was just that Trudeau was so much more unpopular!
In fact, Poilievre’s personality now seems to grate, voters are increasingly turned off by what sometimes comes across as innate nastiness and, frankly, he doesn’t seem as smart or competent as Carney.
So, if by-election voters don’t really believe in their heart the Conservatives under Poilievre would beat the Liberals under Carney in the next election (which, with a minority government might not be as far off as many imagine) maybe they should send Poilievre packing now!
Why go through a by-election now, and then in January have Poilievre face the scheduled mandatory leadership review and, if he survives, end up with him for another couple of years … if they believe he would lose to Carney again?
There is an alternative.
Independent candidate Bonnie Critchley, a well-known local 44-year-old military veteran who served in Afghanistan and is running on the theme “This is Our Home, Our Riding”. And she is getting attention from Battle River-Crowfoot voters who see Poilievre as an outsider … and a loser.
This by-election is about more than voters choosing a new MP.
A defeat for Poilievre Aug 18 in Battle River-Crowfoot would allow the Conservatives to get on NOW with choosing a new leader … someone with more charisma and business/professional background, who would have more time for Canadians to get to know him or her and just might be able to successfully take on Carney when the next vote comes.
In the meantime, Alberta voters would end up with a local MP who more accurately mirrors themselves, and would no doubt pay more attention to their interests than his own.
Harv Oberfeld
CHECK the labels: BUY CANADIAN! 🇨🇦
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Your last paragraph says it all.
although I tend to lean to the left, I’d vote for Ms. Critchley in the upcoming election. Did some reading abut her and she’d be good at this job. As an Independent she will bring something new to the table.
Its actually been nice not seeing PP on the news all the time with his nasty comments and arrogant attitude.
Notice how much effort Ford put into distancing himself from PP during the campaign. He saw what was coming before it happened. Poilievre was radioactive. Ford won a majority. They share a lot ideologically. One is popular and one isn’t. It’s not difficult.
Doug Ford is a self-centred pseudo-conservative, who wants to lead the Conservatives. His efforts to sabotage the Conservative campaign didn’t go unnoticed. Many Conservatives will do everything in their power to stop his leadership aspirations.
(Response: Well, if Poilievre fails again, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Ford seek the top job. Ho)
At least Pierre is standing up for Israel. Your fan favorite Carney is not!
I think his other problem is that he is too “cerebral” for most voters. When you’re used to the dumb and dumber Trudeau/Carney combos, what would you expect? Pierre speaks way above most people and is too sarcastic as well. I really like the Jewish girl Melissa Lantsman but she’s probably too bright for most people here as well. I think they’d prefer Forrest Gump because that is certainly what they vote for, instead of policies and procedures that actually benefit our country.
Voters here also like being lied to continually and can never spot the differences. When told they have to do “elbows up” there they go. When they are told that the Liberal policy is now a Conservative one, it’s the best policy in the whole wide world. Am I shocked by the stupidity of all of this? I once was but no more after reading a lot of stuff here!
If voters could switch that quickly from the Conservative to the Liberals just because they were told to tells you everything about how stupid Canadian voters really are and how easily they are fooled. Despite what you may think, the “elbows up” campaign was a con and Canadian voters were played. Also the Conservative platform was stolen by the Liberals and nobody even noticed but they voted Liberal because it wasn’t Conservative… huh? Again Canadians aren’t all that bright, want somebody as dumb as they are and want to be given everything under the sun without realizing there are taxes to be paid….
So no wonder the liberals who write here so often vote without thinking. And they think they are bright because they get to call names without realizing that fingers are pointing back at them and they are being played and aren’t so bright after all.
They are like the scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz. Some of them will have to Google that reference.
(Response; Re Carney/Israel, read my next blog. As for your comment “Pierre speaks way above most people and is too sarcastic as well”, that raises a problem for the Conservatives: can he change/overcome that …or should they look for someone who can do better? Maybe Doug Ford? Ho)
Marge, I notice that in nearly all your posts, you point out how stupid various people are. In this piece, your first post contained two references to stupid Canadians. The one above contained eight references. Ergo, you must believe you are more intelligent than millions of other Canadians with opposing views to your own. These must include approximately half the contributors to our host’s site.
I wondered what might cause someone to behave that way and posed the question to ChatGPT. Here was the answer:
Someone who frequently calls others “stupid,” especially based on political views—may be reflecting several psychological and social traits. These aren’t definitive diagnoses, but here’s what it could say about them:
1. Inflated Ego or Narcissism
A person who routinely claims intellectual superiority may have narcissistic tendencies. They may need to feel “above” others to protect their self-esteem or identity.
They may confuse intelligence with agreement—thinking anyone who disagrees with them must be unintelligent.
2. Cognitive Bias: Dunning-Kruger Effect
Ironically, some people who overestimate their intelligence may actually lack the ability to recognize their own knowledge gaps. This is the core of the Dunning-Kruger effect.
They might not be as knowledgeable or insightful as they think, but because they don’t recognize this, they assume others are the problem.
3. Black-and-White Thinking
This kind of person may struggle with nuance. Instead of acknowledging that intelligence can exist across a spectrum—and in all political affiliations—they reduce complex issues to “smart vs. stupid.”
It’s a form of tribalism: “If you’re not on my side, you must be dumb.”
4. Insecurity or Fear Masked as Superiority
Belittling others can be a defense mechanism. People who feel threatened by differing views sometimes react by attacking the perceived source.
They may need to feel like they are right (and others wrong) to maintain a sense of control or certainty in a changing world.
5. Echo Chamber Influence
If someone is only exposed to like-minded media and communities, they may genuinely come to believe that all dissenting voices are idiotic or misinformed.
This can reinforce confirmation bias—only valuing opinions that match their own, and ridiculing the rest.
6. Political Identity as Ego
When someone fuses their political identity with their personal worth, any challenge to that ideology feels like a personal attack. Dismissing others as “stupid” becomes a way to protect that identity.
This is often seen in extreme partisanship, not just among conservatives, but it tends to show up in more rigid ideologies.
In Summary:
Someone who constantly calls others “stupid,” especially along political lines, may be overcompensating for insecurities, lacking in humility, or simply operating in a closed feedback loop that reinforces their biases. It often says more about their limitations in empathy, self-awareness, or intellectual humility than it does about the people they’re criticizing.
I know… I know… someone would have to be pretty danged stupid to believe anything ChatGPT has to say.
PS: I didn’t have to Google the scarecrow… does that make me as smart as you?
(Response: I sure hope no one puts things I say on here on a variety of topics through the GPT Chat … especially the one run by Elon Musk!! LOL!! 🙂 Ho)
There’s another possibility. It could be that one who questions the intelligence of others is more intelligent than most and not easily fooled by politicians. I didn’t need Artificial Intelligence to reach that conclusion!
Poiliviere had his chance and now he may have to leave the stage. The same repetitive message and lacking of enough platform played a role, but not all of it. Carney coming in at the time of crisis with crazy man Trump making a mess of everything I think caused panic and worry in many Canadians and Carney was the their best fit. He was already in the gray. I do give credit to Poliviere though for leading the full on combat mode for so long that helped very much in giving Trudeau the political beating he deserved that in turn helped see Trudeau resign and go down in disgrace as I see it. Even though I voted for Poiliviere, and he lost I figured may as well see Carney have a his day. When people are in a crisis such as Covid or the Trump Tarriff War or other crisis they tend to pause and rally round the flag and present leader and government and vote for them. People get scared at the last minute. As far as Carneys mainly same old Trudeau circus of Canada destroyers and entitled extreme activist freinds I believe things are going sideways already. When I hear such an incompetent and goof type of politician like ex Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson be brought in as Housing (Unaffordability) Minister as I call him, I see the same old Trudeau trouble world at it again for Canada. A mess that I think will not change much and may even get worse. When I hear Robertson state that home prices don’t need to fall but supply needs to go up and thats it, now I’ll pick up my paycheque basically, then all I see is a liar and obfuscater from what the real problem is, where it came from and who is to mainly to blame for the critical rise to unnaffordable heights in everything, mainly real estate but also dizzying heights of crime, street crime, homelessness, drug addiction and all it’s tragic byproducts. Trudeau and the Liberals have their dirty mitts all over it. They caused mostball of it. The entitlement mentality of Trudeau and his clique was astonishing. Allowance of off shore big bucks mainly from China, way to much immigration, no supply and an exaggerated market with sky rocketing demand, and banks and financial institutions and the real estate industrial complex seeing all the big money dirty laundered or legit fill their coffers and government itself waiting like vultures for the revenues from the bloated and corrupted market play into what I would call the Great Betrayal of Canada. They stood by and allowed Canada and Canadians to be throw under the bus and run over. The regular folks have been screwed completely in the home affordabilty and affordability situation.in general and it can’t change because all the damage has been done and the market has found it’s new normal. Its a lie also to hear Carney thinking he and his same Trudeau nuts can change anything. Such a change during election. Amazing. No the old Trudeau mode is still there, at play, and ready and willing to continue on. Why would they or the banks or the greedy real-estate industry and its web want to see house prices and everything go down. The profits and revenues would drop in kind. Greed also won’t allow it.
(Response: I assume before the next election rolls around, Poilievre and his strategists would have a new message or at least a new way to frame the old one. But as I mentioned in response to other comments, as I watch the fight with Trump go on, I keep wondering whether Doug Ford might be a better candidate for the Conservatives … if he can speak some French. Ho)
Oh yeah, Doug Ford would be someone who’s definetly at the front of my mind.
(Response: I think he’d attract more votes than Poilievre. BUT …I don’t believe he speaks French. Ho)
A couple of issues that have surfaced which needs to be addresses. One big one is that Trumps so called “Big” trade deals are more in Trumps mind, for US politics than anything else both the Japanese and European interpretations are 180 degrees different than Trump’s. The so called announcements are merely frameworks than anything else and are more about taking the media’s off the Epstein file than anything else.
The “Wee P” is still on the Conservative Maple MAGA election strategy of anger and grievance at Canada and I do wish his party stop this “Canada is broken” spiel, Canada is not broken, far from it, but according to the Conservatives we are one step away from anarchy.
Speaking of anarchy, the Truckers insurrection still angers me and who supported this American inspired insurrection, the “Wee P” himself!
In Alberta, if I was a voter in Battle River – Crowfoot and hell bent for separation, the “Wee P” would not be my main choice as he would be a phantom MP for the constituency and not supporting my views.
Why oh why do politicians seldom see that their “time in the sun” is over and exit the stage in good grace. Trudeau was forced kicking and screaming off the stage but in the end, with polls showing disaster, he took the hint and vamoosed, but not before firing a more than few shots at Trump.
The “Wee P” should do the same, bow out gracefully and maybe come back to fight another day instead he will becomes some sort of caricature of history, a yesterday’s man who is unable or unwilling to deal with today’s problems.
And one last thought and I stress I was no fan of Trudeau the Younger, but the “Wee P” would have done himself a lot of credibility if he had those “F*** Trudeau flags and signs taken down at Conservative rally’s. He could have said, “this is not how we do politics in Canada”, which in the end would have done him more good than anything else, but he didn’t and that sent a message loud and clear to the undecided voter in this country which wanted something other than Trumpian/MAGA talking points.
(Response: Canada is not broken. We may be wounded by Trump’s economic attacks, but in fact, we are proving very resilient. Many, many Canadians are buying Canadian whenever they can; Canadians are NOT vacationing/shopping in the US; Canadians are travelling more within their own province/country. Elbows up!! However, we still have terrible internal problems with living costs, housing, crime etc …so we do need fixing to some extent. But, the country broken? No. Poilievre will have to change his spiel if he keeps his job. Ho)
As much as I respect your opinion I do dislike the constant reference to “Wee P”. While not a conservative supporter I find it disrespectful and does not contribute to our understanding of what is going on in Canada and what we face as a nation.
With respect Canada is not broken, I agree but it is in need of repair. Some facts to ponder, of the 25 richest countries Canada ranks 22 for GDP per capita in 2025. Just ahead of of the UAE, France, and New Zealand. Austria, Australia and all of EU rank well ahead of Canada. For GNI, income derived from internal and external income sources Canada ranks 18th, and for Median wealth Canada does well, ranked 9th, but that is because of the high cost of home ownership and that wealth is offset by mortgage debt.
Stats Canada data indicates that the difference in disposable income between the top 40% and bottom 40% of income earners reached a record high in the first quarter of 2025. This trend is further highlighted by the fact that the highest-income households saw the largest increase in their share of disposable income. It is from the top 40% that the bank of Canada’s growth projects for the last two quarters comes from.
According to BC Stats, dated but considered to the same now Public Employment in the BC stands at 20.49% of all jobs, and 22.58% of the population depends government transfer payments to remain viable.
No need to go through the individual sectors that are struggling Health Care, education, post-secondary education, public transportation, and youth unemployment.
No broken but certainly in need of repair, and always fun to exchange views.
Let’s talk about the truckers who protested in Ottawa. If not for them, the lockdowns, the restrictions and the mandates would have probably continued far longer. Notice that when people protest against pipelines, block railways, support Hamas, BLM and other left-wing issues, the consequences are rarely significant with the current left-wing government.
It’s clear to me that some don’t see the reality of the pandemic. All I’ll say is that there were many lies and some people made a lot of money. The truckers have been punished because they dared to defy the government, and the government doesn’t like people with critical thinking skills.
Of course we don’t want a lot of disruption to people’s lives, excessive noise and blocked roads, but the government had all the tools necessary to handle the protest properly. The former prime minister refused to talk to the protestors and used the excuse of COVID to run away from them.
There was no need to freeze bank accounts and certainly no need to recommend longer sentences than many people get for serious crimes such as murder. Make no mistake about it. The consequences are purely political.
Pierre Poilievre’s support for the truckers probably cost him votes, especially in his own riding. If he only cared about money and power, he would have condemned the protests, but he didn’t do that. It’s nice to see a politician who has principles.
The fact that PP legitimized conspiracy theories and supported illegal blockades (at first) is a big reason I wouldn’t consider him as PM. The fact is, for most of us the pandemic restrictions were long over by the time the convoy got rolling. Most of us did our duty, got vaccinated and went on with our lives months earlier. Honestly, if you’re serious about ever seeing a Conservative government again, just stop talking about this nonsense; it’s a big loser as an issue. I’m sure Poilievre’s strategists are stressing the same.
(Response: That, for sure, won’t be an issue in the next election. But although I supported the Conservatives last time (not my usual choice) I don’t get the feeling .. unless Carney/Libs suffer a major catastrophe/scandal etc. .. he’d beat them next time either. But maybe Doug Ford could! 🙂 Ho)
A good man contender and candidate Ford. The one hiding in plain sight. I would sure like to see him get a kick at the can. But, Poiliviere may not be getting filed under G quite yet though. He needs to recalibrate his message, because he is no doubt the most fiery opposition leader ever. I think he contributed greatly to he demise of that entitled hair brained incompetent and pathetic excuse for a PM Trudeau. But yes, Doug Ford would be a great Opposition or Prime Minister. I think. The only thing people should see in Trudeau is that he and his no good elitist entitled is that they they did one thing for Canadians protection and Canada. They destroyed it and they absolutely and hopefully will not be forgotten about so quickly for what they’ve done and caused.
So what was wrong with Poilievre supporting the truckers’ convoy and blockade?
When the world first started hearing about Covid (then coronavirus…), there were reports of so many deaths, temporary refrigerated tractor-trailers were being set up as morgues outside hospitals in China and then other countries as the disease spread. People around the world were scared and rightly so. That’s why governments brought in such strong measures to protect their citizens. As Covid became less dangerous, those initial measures were relaxed and eventually disappeared.
There will always be bitching about government actions like this. During the Spanish Flu that killed 50ish million, there were world-wide protests from people who didn’t want to wear masks.
The trucker’s convoy had little to do with actual truckers. Truck drivers interviewed across Canada at truck stops mostly said they thought it was BS and certainly not endorsed by them or their union.
Blockades of border crossings caused huge disruptions and stalled supply chains for pretty much everything.
The occupation of downtown Ottawa lasted for weeks, causing local residents and businesses to suffer due to 24/7 noise (constant air-horn honking), road closures, and intimidation. Court orders to end the occupation were ignored. Some protestors danced and whizzed on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
There were racist symbols everywhere — Confederate flags, horns playing ‘Dixie’, swastikas. There were MAGA references everywhere. The protesters spewed never-ending misinformation about the pandemic, vaccines, and the government in general.
But this was all perfectly okay with, and endorsed by, one Pierre Poilievre, the pride of the Conservative Party of Canada.
I would still vote for Poilievre if he comes up with better and realistic spiel or a new good Con candidate. The Trudeau Liberals which they still are, have Caused and Allowed to much destruction of regular Canadians protection to be overlooked. They stood by and let it happen.
(Response: Just wondering … as I watch the turmoil over Trump’s tariffs, if Doug Ford might be a better candidate for the Conservatives in a couple of years! Ho)
For sure. I’m down for that. He has time to put it altogether. So far he shows really strong leadership, and also the needed and right kind of leadership.
I see the conspiracy theorists are alive and well in Canada, pity.
Let us hearken back to the days of Covid, masks and lock-downs. let us not forget, Covid was an unkown and people were dying, especially the elderly (the boomer remover) and those suffering from other debilitating diseases.
Then there is long Covid and I know a lot of people today suffering the effects of Long Covid as I type this.
So what was the truckers protest about? They certainly flaunted public health mandates and many were wanting more than doing away with the masks.
Freezing bank accounts was because of funding coming from the USA.
That the “Wee P” (sorry Edgar) supported this nonsense should not be forgotten.
As for the Covid mandates, they were based on science and not politcal whim and the medical authorities were scared because of the unknowns and when the the scientists got a handle on Covid and vaccines were available, the restrictions were rescinded. The old adage, “better safe than sorry” come into mind.
It’s called science and science is not prefect but when the scientists get chills up their spine over a disease, we better listen.
By the way, the same anti science, anti vaccine crowd have now created a measles epidemic in this country. Damn, have they forgotten about Polio, smallpox, and a host of other diseases?
Evidently so. So, here we have a career politcans, a leader of a major Canadian politcal party, closet Maple MAGA, anti-science/anti-vax (he supported the truckers), who lost his own seat in his riding which he held for 20 years.
The voters in the “Wee P’s” riding sent a message to the Canadian voter and I hope the voters in Alberta are listening.
In an open letter to the Longest Ballot Committee, Bonnie Critchley couldn’t even spell Pierre Poilievre’s name correctly. It is not spelt Poiliever. That is truly a very careless mistake.
The Conservative leader is going to win the by-election despite all the opposition from the media and supporters of the Liberals and left-wing parties. There’s little doubt about that.
What has Mark Carney done? He’s increased the budget of the CBC, he’s decided there’s no need for parliament to start in the middle of what he called an existential crisis, failed to give us a budget, decided to increase spending, invited King Charles III to give the Throne Speech to remind Quebec that Mark Carney is the former Governor of the Bank of England and a man who loves the monarchy, and has told us that Muslim values are Canadian values. Perhaps many who follow this blog think that’s fantastic, but I don’t think so.
I seriously doubt Mr. Carney would have stayed in Canada if he’d lost the election. He’s shown us that he loves the CCP, he has lots of conflicts of interest, the assets of Brookfield have increased outside Canada while they have decreased in Canada, and the headquarters of the organization have moved from Toronto to New York. That doesn’t really sound like a man who has a lot of confidence in Canada, does it?
Maybe Pierre Poilievre could have lied and not said that he’d make cuts to the public service. At the very least, he might have gotten a better result if he hadn’t been honest and said he was going to make cuts to the public service. It really hurt him in his riding. Mark Carney, though, completely forgot to mention cuts to the public service. It now turns out that he’s also going to make cuts. Of course the CBC loves him, so there’s no need to mention that.
It’s interesting that so many in the media want Pierre Poilievre to resign. Why would Warren Kinsella, a former aide of Jean Chretien, care? Well, I suspect that they really doesn’t want Pierre Poilievre back in the House of Commons because he’ll expose the lack of vision, principles and concern for ordinary Canadians of the Canadian prime minister. Mark Carney isn’t impressive. Unfortunately, though, many Canadians haven’t realized it yet because he’s more mature and intelligent that Justin Trudeau, and for then, that’s enough to reject a man who they think is similar to Donald Trump.
The Conservatives lost because of the rhetoric of Donald Trump, the collapse of the NDP and the resignation of Justin Trudeau. I doubt all those factors are going to be present the next time. We know that the Conservatives have replaced the last two leaders who lost elections, but that didn’t work well for them. It’s better to give Pierre Poilievre a second chance.
(Response: Well, Poilievre certainly did prove effective in the House of Commons grilling the PM and government Ministers. Yet, not enough to win, despite HUGE lead in many polls. So Alberta voters have to decide not just who would be their best MP, but whether Poilievre in the long run can still be a winner? If they don’t really believe that, why keep him? Wouldn’t it be better to start the replacement process now ..not in a year or so! Ho)
Bonnie Critchley seems like a reasonable candidate that could be supported by any party.
https://thetyee.ca/Analysis/2025/07/28/Military-Vet-Could-End-Poilievre-Career/
How many Liberal, NDP Green supporters would vote for her instead of their no hope in hell usual candidate.
How many Conservatives will be looking at an independent candidate over the leader of the party that they have supported unconditionally for years.
It is an interesting situation. What % of support does Poilievre need in this election? The last guy got 82%. Does Poilievre need 80% 75%,70%, 65% to quell any doubts going into the leadership review? And what % will he need in a leadership review.
I remember Joe Clark resigning as party leader even with 66% support because he didn’t think that 66% was a high enough mandate. He lost to Mulroney in the next leadership race.
Would Poilievre do the same in similar circumstances?
(Response: A by-election is much different than a leadership review: with more than 200 names on the ballot, any kind of victory would likely suffice …although a low vote could be a bit embarrassing. However, Poilievre if does win the by-election, he’d better get at least 70% support in the January leadership review, or the knives will be out! Ho)
It is important that Pierre Poilievre be elected. He may never become Prime Minister, but we need an effective opposition and Pierre Poilievre has proven he can be an effective opposition leader. He did rid the country of a very unpopular liberal leader.
Anyway who is to say what experience makes for a great Prime Minister.
Carney is part of the group that has gone back and forth from private banking to government, like Macron, Summers, and countless others.
The current Carey government has no boundaries or limits, and no one to hold them to account. No sitting parliament, no budget, and a national media that asks that we believe Carney will do the best for Canadians. I’m not buying any of this current nonsense, like with past agreements the liberals, and conservatives under Mulroney, they will do what is best for the business interests of Canada. Canadians were warned about the implication of entering a free trade agreement with the US. The warnings went unheeded and we now find ourselves in this position, likely to lose the last vestiges of the Canadian economy we do control.
The EU/US agreement on energy purchases should put an end to any dreams Canada had of selling natural gas to Europe.
BC took two shots this week from the Carney gang this week, one on forestry tariffs (BC companies will now have to pay retroactive tariffs for 2023 and 2024) and not response from Carney. On company executive from a small producer told me today they don’t think the company will survive this one. The other on ferry subsidies to east coast ferries, none for the west coast.
Yes, we need Pierre Poilievre in the house, at least to ask some embarrassing questions of the Carney gang.
(Response: I agree the EU trade deal which will see the US sell LNG to Europe makes things more challenging for Canada .. and makes it even more important that we expedite/expand our trade with Asia …not just for LNG but oil and minerals as well. As for the ferry subsidies, Eby made the point very well …. hope he keeps it up! Snf I expect on one of his trips to BC , Carney will come through with more money for BC ferries ..not as much as they get back east, but certainly more than we get now. Ho)
I’m for a new Conservative leader. I still voted for Pollivere but he’s now run his political coarse. The changes can happen fast or slow in politics. It comes with the territory it can be a ruthless place in that territory. Everyone at the top becomes prey sooner or later. Its part of what keeps politics interesting.
(Response: His problem is Canadians now know him, his background ad style pretty well and despite their unhappiness with the Liberals for several years, still opted to give them another term. Now Carney could prove with time to be a complete disaster, but so far he’s impressing Canadians … more than Poilievre. Ho)
Pollievere is old news now. Not even worth a place in the cartoon section. File him under section G for Garbage.
I would like all of you to tell me what Mark Carney has done for Canada since taking office. Absolutely nothing and yet he’s popular. How has he benefitted you as a Canadian? Did you fall for the knees up crap (which was actually a PR proposal and it worked with the dumb and dumber) and how has moved any of the tariff negotiations with Trump further? Kind of shows how stupid Canadians really are when they support Carney who has done squat and hasn’t even produced a budget!
You mentioned that Polievre lost in Ottawa but sadly or conveniently neglected to say how things were stacked against him. Trudeau and his crew moved the boundaries of the riding to include a strong liberal hold.” Surprisingly ” many of these new constituents in the new boundaries of Carleton worked for the federal government you know the excess waste that Pierre was speaking about (streamlining the unnecessary salaries to make the country more fiscally responsible, saving taxpayers
In other words, he didn’t stand a bloody chance of winning there, even if he were the Queen of England. Somebody’s head should roll in his party, because surely, they could have figured out what was heading his way and have him run in a more Conservative seat, kind of like what Carney did. And didn’t Carney force somebody to get out of that seat in order to run for it? And now people think there’s something wrong because the Conservatives are doing it.
And then there was that long ballot thing done there and now in Alberta as well. If they weren’t scared of Pierre, they wouldn’t try it for a second time would they?
And I guess all of you forgot that Carney stole the Conservative platform and lied that it was his own. Remember the Media (probably with a little push from the Libs) went after Poilievre for not having a platform (and several of you here as well). Soon as he did, guess what happened to all of his policies? Gone…. Over to the Liberals.
To make my story come to an end, I repeat myself and ask all of you who voted Liberal, what the hell has your party done that has improved anything for you??? The answer is absolutely nothing!
(Response: You seem to forget politics is as much a matter of perception as it is a matter of reality. That was reflected in some of the bad impressions voters had of Trudeau that actually forced him out and reflected some of the bad impressions voters had of Poilievre after he lost both the election and his own seat. The polls now clearly show Canadians feel Carney has brought Canadians together in an unprecedented way; they like (so far) the way he is dealing with Trump; and at the same time, they are not impressed with what they are hearing/seeing from Poilievre. So, even if the points you make are true, my point remains: if Alberta by-election voters realize Poilievre would NOT beat Carney in another election, they should get rid of him now … so the party can come up with a better challenger. Ho)
Hi Harvey, I have a sneaking hunch, that all of you who took the bait and voted for Carney, are probably the same bunch who voted for Trudeau. I am pretty sure, you will all be a lot sorrier, you voted for Carney, and probably a lot poorer (unless you buy Brookfield).
Carney is starting to look more and more like Trudeau 2. He has done virtually nothing, other than being ignored by Trump, and he has made sure to give FN a veto on almost everything, which means no pipelines, unless we pay the blackmail they ask.
I almost forgot to mention, he did think it might be a good idea to get his company out of Canada, so they can invest in pipelines and mining elsewhere, anywhere, but Canada.
(Response: Well, as I indicated, even with Carney at the head of the Liberals, I personally wanted Poilievre/Conservatives to win and have a chance to show what they would do to stimulate the economy, lower taxes and get tougher on bail/crime. But since the purpose of this blog is to “keep it real”, after watching/listening to Poilievre during the campaign and afterwards, after watching/listening to Carney since the election; and watching the polls as well, I just wonder why Albertans who want to see a Conservative government in power next time, would keep Poilievre as leader now. Ho)
Could be interesting.
As of today, 209 confirmed candidates.
Small rural red neck country, people voting for their crackpot cousins, Poilievre, or anyone else for that matter, could win with a couple hundred votes.
https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/article/more-than-200-candidates-running-in-riding-where-poilievre-hopes-to-win-seat-as-elections-canada-announces-adapted-ballot/
(Response: Not really. Most of those on the ballot are not from the riding, but are part of a national campaign to promote proportional representation and will barely get any votes. However, Bonnie Critchley is a local resident/rancher and could upset Poilievre if voters share my doubts about Poilievre’s electability. Maybe she should reprint it and put it in everyone’s mailbox! 🙂 More likely though, with 100,000 voters and more than 80% there voting Conservative last election, Poilievre will easily pull it off. But you never know! Ho)
Complete agreement with your post.
Poilievre’s star shone briefly in the pale, cold light of Canada’s hatred of Trudeau—a silly little man, possibly the worst prime minister in the country’s history, who rose to power for one reason only: his last name. Once Trudeau stepped down, any realistic hope Poilievre had of becoming PM vanished. I’ll admit, I would have voted for him if Trudeau had stayed on.
But then Mark Carney appeared with such impeccable credentials and real-world accomplishments that Poilievre’s seemed almost laughable—a lifetime on the public teat and a correspondence Bachelor of Arts degree.
Since Harper, the Conservatives have failed to produce a leader who could convince Canada that they were the right person to lead the country. I can’t help but think Peter MacKay might have beaten Trudeau had he won the Con leadership—but we’ll never know.
It’s important that the Conservatives win an election soon. It’s unhealthy for a democracy when one party remains in power for too long. Policy stagnates. Complacency sets in. Citizens begin to feel the system is rigged. And the governing party continues to stack the Senate—which now has a lopsided Liberal majority.
The Conservatives need to find a new, moderate leader who can appeal to Canadians across all regions and backgrounds—a tall order for sure. Any hint of MAGA-style leanings will doom any candidate displaying them. When the right leader does finally emerge, I’ll be ready to vote for them.
(Response: Blog readers may recall that, even after Carney took over the Liberal leadership, I supported giving Poilievre/Conservatives a chance after so many years of the Liberals. Poilievre clearly failed to impress Canadians: in fact, the longer the voters were exposed to him during the campaign, the more Carney/Liberals gained. That’s not exactly a great result …and frankly I have not seen him improve since then. Lacks charisma, warmth and sincerity and Canadians seem bothered by the fact that politics has been his only career. If Albertans see that too … why keep him around? Unless they want to lose next election too! Ho)
I’ve posted here before that Conservatives made a big mistake firing the moderate and mature O’Toole and replacing him with a one-dimensional attack dog. I could have stomached the calm and reasonable O’Toole. There was no reason to vote PP except to rid us of JT.
(Response: O’Toole certainly comes closer to Carney in temperament, background and style than Poilievre….but I’m not sure he could have overcome Carney’s Bank of Canada and England and successful business leader CV. Ho)
The Liberals played it smart … no election while Trudeau was at the helm … he stepped down and got a new leader … now have an election, no more hate for Trudeau and perhaps the new leader (Carney) can win voters back to the Liberals … which they did.
Now with the Conservatives searching for a new leader can be frustrating …they have done it many times in the last 20 years …and with apparently 160 candidates running in that Alberta by-election, will be interesting results … who knows … Harv maybe you are right … for me they would have to get someone with some business background….
(Response: The real question facing Alberta voters isn’t choosing a new MP: it’s whether they think Poilievre could WIN the next election? If they don’t, why play into the Liberals’ hands and keep Poilievre? Better to send him packing now and get on with the task of finding someone who would have a chance. Ho)
The “Wee P” has a credibility problem and with the “trade war” with the US intensifies, he and his Conservative party have done little to convince Canadians that they are no better than Quislings.
Sadly the “Wee P” suffers from a dementia common to most politcans and that they grossly over-rate their ability in parliament, legislature, or even council chamber.
The public, in a rare moment of clarity, saw the danger of the Trump regime and demanded action, Carney read the tea leaves but the “Wee P” did not and received a well deserved message from the voter.
Obviously deaf to the current dire situation Canada is in, he continues unabated in his quest for the “brass ring”.
So, how is the “Wee P” fairing now? Not so good, as comments with the Ottawa truckers insurrectionists, his lack of any comprehension about Trumps attack on Canada, and his seemingly inability to deal with Albertan separatists within the Conservative party is making him and his party toxic to the Canadian voter.
Personally, I do not trust the “Wee P” and the Conservative party one iota as it is a party of the past and is blind to the future, somewhat like the Republicans in the Excited States, who are returning the country to 1930’s Jim Crow, Corporate Corruption and a fear of anyone or anything different.