“Axe the Tax” was great … perhaps the most memorable political slogans in modern Canadian political history.
Successful too! Effective enough to force the Conservatives’ arch rival Liberals to drop the tax … at least temporarily.
But Pierre Poilievre’s subsequent slew of slogans and catch phrases have not done so well … and are even turning voters off!
The Conservative leader recently repeatedly served up a vision of Canadians living “in beautiful homes on a safe street protected by brave troops under a proud flag”.
Ugh!
I don’t want troops on my street! Too many Canadians can barely afford apartment rents … let alone “a beautiful home” and relatively few fly “our proud flag’ from their roof.
Poilievre has to get real!
Canadians want substance.
He should emphasize MORE exactly HOW a Conservative government will bring down the cost of living, housing, rents, taxes, groceries, crime, drug use/abuse and also increase jobs, investment, find trade alternatives to the US., retaliate against US trade/tariff threats/actions and expedite and finance infrastructure and industrial projects to counter balance any impacts.
And, yes, Poilievre should remind voters about all those issues that led so many to yearn for and even demand an election long before the Mad Hatter down south unleashed his threats/tariffs/insults against Canada.
He has a lot he can work with in this campaign.
Voters should be reminded of the Liberal record: not just the carbon tax, but how they squeezed the middle class mercilessly as inflation rose and rose and rose; the inadequate funding that led to health care deterioration across the country; failures over and over again to amend Criminal Laws that favour offenders over victims and Sentencing rules that force Judges to release recidivist criminals before the ink on their Arrest documents are dry; and, internationally, the huge immigration flood that negatively impacted so many aspects of Canadian society; while turning Canada’s back on Israel at the UN (I believe in pursuit of votes from the 1.7 million Muslims now in Canada?) and, as a corollary, offering only weak responses to increasing anti-Semitism and violence/vandalism by militant Islamists; and … maybe the worst legacy: “According to the International Monetary Fund Canada experienced nearly zero real per capita GDP growth between 2014 and 2024 …Compare that to our peers: the United States: saw 21 per cent real per capita GDP growth; Italy, 13 per cent.” (Source for this reference: https://nationalpost.com/opinion/anthony-koch-the-liberals-engineered-canadas-lost-decade-they-cant-be-trusted-to-fix-it.)
That’s what Poilievre/Conservatives should be emphasizing/reminding Canadians: the Liberal record.
Not hollow slogans like “More boots; less suits”, “Bring it home” or “Canada First”.
Unless Poilievre wants to finish second.
Harv Oberfeld
(Follow @harveyoberfeld on “X” for FREE First Alerts to new postings on this blog.)
Mark Carney once said that the industrial carbon tax is not a problem for consumers because steel isn’t used in many products. He implied that only manufacturers will pay it. Well, that’s completely wrong. Steel is used in many products. They include fridges, washing machines, cutlery, bikes, cars, TVs, computers, ovens, sinks, pots and cabinets. He may have graduated from Oxford, but he doesn’t know everything.
(Response: I don’t trust Carney/Liberals on the carbon tax. I believe they will impose it again within a year or introduce some other new way of squeezing those same dollars out of the taxpayers, using the environment as an excuse. H.o)
Many have pointed out, the Liberal’s track record for the past decade has been dismal. As with most political parties, that blame goes largely to the PM. T2 was elected leader for one reason only – his name. He had very little ‘real world’ experience (although, more than Poilievre…) and was flung utterly unprepared, into the political arena. He was a silly little man with nice hair and a speech impediment – a little leaguer suddenly facing an NBA hardball team.
Then, for reasons I’ll never understand, the Con’s chose two unelectable leaders – T2 trounced them both, while digging the country deeper into debt and performing poorly on the domestic and international stage. The reason Trump mocked him, was a hot mike vid clip of T2 and a few other world leaders gossiping about and mocking Trump, which he never forgot. Trump has conspicuously avoided mocking Mark Carney, who Trump respects and perhaps fears a bit. Having run the banking systems on two continents, Carney likely knows where the bodies are buried – why western banks would no longer fund Trump, forcing him to seek loans from Russian banks.
But the Libs have a new leader with a lifetime honing the exact skill set that Canada requires right now. As the world is free-falling into financial chaos, who would you rather have trying to keep Canada as unexposed as possible? A guy who ran two western banking systems for over a decade? Or a guy with no ‘real world’ experience and whose finances have been limited to balancing his checkbook.
And don’t give me that ‘Carney has no experience with politics and Poilievre does’.
Politics? Schmolitics!
Politics is all about getting re-elected. It’s about rewarding your friends, major donors, and party members. And screwing over your enemies. And spending much of the money you’ve raised, on acts that will get you the most votes in the next election. Politics has nothing whatsoever to do with improving the lives of your constituents. Politics is figuring out how to extract even more money from them. It’s refreshing to have a politician who isn’t a lifetime political hack. We have to give Carney’s credentials a chance and see what he does. He can’t be any worse than T2. He’ll be better than Poilievre ever would be.
But I could be wrong – I usually am.
(Response: You’re not usually wrong: some very good points in your comment. But I look beyond the current buzz word or topic when I vote … to the long term implications. And in terms of just our terrible Court/injustice system alone, hamstrung by federal Liberal policies, I just shudder how dangerous our city urban areas will become with another four years of Liberal policies! Ugh! Read my upcoming blog. H.o)
When you published this post Harvey, the pollsters/pundits had the cons around 37-38% , numbers which have remained fairly static. The libs 43-44%. pulling in votes from the NDP and Bloc for the reasons we are aware of.
It will be interesting to see if these numbers are set or change in a week or so after the tariff factor has sunk in and Polievre changing his messaging a tad towards trump, and the usual conservative go tos’ law and order, cutting red tape etc.
Personally I think the lame flag wrapping ads., slogans and predictable messaging will bring a yawn to the undecided voter if they are still out there and not much will change for the cons. Carney just has to keep on keeping on , looking the part with the resume to match and hope no major skeleton appears.
(Response: Beginning to look right now like Libs will do best in Ontario and Quebec (massive numbers of seats) and the Conservatives will do better in the Prairies and BC. But still three weeks to go! H.o)
Hi Harvey, after watching a snooze-fest of a Carney rally, where I thought I was watching a remake of The Living Dead, I watched a rally in Kingston with Pierre. The crowd was animated, he was animated and kept the crowd interested throughout 40 some minutes, and at least I, felt he was very interested in improving Canada and Canadian lives. I feel sincerity in his talk and manner, that I don’t feel with Carney, at any time.
After 10 years of Trudeau and company, why vote for more of the same. As the cliche goes, same clown car, different driver!!!
(Response: This is going to be a very interesting last three weeks of the campaign: the shock of Trump’s insults/antics/tariffs is beginning to wear off and voters are starting to remember other issues. That, I believe, is better news for Poilievre/Conservatives … although I still get the impression that in Metro Toronto and throughout Quebec, Carney/Liberals are still scoring higher. H.o)
The “Wee P” looks like a dead man walking and Carney is no hell either, but hear is the deal, this election is about one thing only, the survival of Canada and a Mr. Trump has upset the Canadian politcal scene with is antics.
Sadly the “Wee P’s” message of fear an loathing is not resonating with Canadians and they will follow the party that offer “hope” and not “Canada is broken”.
One has to remember that all politcal promises made on the stump are just that, promises, because if Trump continues on his present course, taxes will rise, there will be no housing solutions, and austerity will once again top the Canadian lexicon.
Liberals should thank TRUMP for their “Hail Mary” bump in the polls.
I’m absolutely disgusted at the amnesia, short sighted, vapid, fearful, voting decision.
When Carney is elected.
Remember to thank…..TRUMP.
(Responses: The decision is not yet made. The TV debates will be critical in this election. H.o)
Some politicians are “rippers” and others are “weavers”.
This Tyee article puts PP into the ripper camp — along with the Orange Clown.
https://thetyee.ca/Culture/2025/04/04/On-Trail-Pierre-Ripper/?utm_source=daily&utm_medium=email
Long time no see, G. Barry Stewart, welcome back.
Thanks Stu.
I’ve been active… but get side-tracked when Harvey goes on vacation.
If it is possible to generalize about the Canadian character, we all have different concerns and approaches, but most Canadians are centralist who lean towards a society that is caring and fair. Because of our origins, however varied, our limited economy, our large and very different neighbour to the south, and in a large measure because of our harsh climate we have found a way to live together and build a society and economy that worked for us.
The last nine years of liberal rule has been divisive, the post-national vision of Canada did not work for me. In fact it was driving me back to my provincial and ethic roots and away from the imagined space of Canada. While the Conservatives and NDP do not offer a superior options, my fear is that Canadians are assuming Carney and the Liberals share their vision of Canada. A vision Carney and Liberals may not share and will be unwilling to deliver on despite all the election rhetoric. The best resolution will be a minority government, with a complete change of leadership to follow.
The Conservatives need to ignore Carney.
They need to ignore Poilievre.
Pound the voters with the Liberal record of the past 10 years.
Thats all they need to do.
Deficits.
Crime and no punishment.
Immigration.
Housing.
Corruption.
DEI indoctrination.
Colonialism.
The Half Mast Flag fiasco.
On and on and on.
REMIND people what the Liberals have done, will do and are capable of.
It isnt rocket science.
(Response: I sure haven’t forgotten. And there’s also my general belief that NO party/government gets better or understands how ordinary people struggle … after 10 years in office! H.o)
CERB Fraud.
Endless criminals immediately “Released on Bail”.
Attorney General fired.
SNC Lavalin deferred prosecution agreement.
Butts fired then rehired.
CBC bias.
Liberal Anti Semitism and pro Palestinian announcements.
Billions in “reparations”.
Burnt churches and no one charged.
Health care ER closures EVERYWHERE EVERY WEEKEND.
On and on and on.
Yet the Conservatives have no negative ads to counter the endless Liberal negative ads??????
Amateur hour.
Time to take off the gloves.
They have nothing to lose.
And then there’s the buying of more propaganda for the Liberals. Watch Carney promise more dough for the CBC to promote him…. kind of disgusting I would say!
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/mark-carney-cbc-funding-1.7501902
(Response: The CBC has to be purged … more than defunded. Readers will recall I have often referred to the CBC National News as the “unofficial voice of the NDP”. Recently, also the p.r. arm of Hamas! Whoever wins, the CBC must be reshaped to conform better to true journalism …fairly presenting opposing viewpoints … and not just pushing its far left activist agenda. H.o)
Many people don’t like negative ads, but a lot of people say they work.
All the things you list happened a long time ago and 3 days in an election can be ancient history.. People aren’t going to be interested in those things if they are going to be out of a job, their savings gone, tariffs causing companies to lay off workers, etc.
Canadians currently are more interested in ensuring Trump doesn’t carry out his plans and with PP carrying on today about “woke” some have already commented about that. There is nothing to indicate PP is capable of dealing with Trump and his cabal. At the rate things are going, we may even see Liberals taking seats in Alberta and the NDP. Manning and Smith are doing themselves nor their province any favours with the demands.
They become drunk with power and arrogance which in makes them forget their obligations to the people.
It’s like they read your comment. The new slogan “We can’t afford a 4th term” is perfect. No mention of the leaders needed. Probably too late, but a promising sign.
Marge: “The only reason to re-elect this party is if you are satisfied with the results they have produced not promised.”
It’s not the only reason.
To me, one of the biggest reasons to “re-elect this party” is the lack of a viable alternative. A pity, that.
It’s difficult to come up with a counter to your long list Liberal bad behaviour, when there has been so little to compare it to.
In the past 40 years, the voters have only trusted the Conservatives with solid support twice. And here are the results for you to read for yourself:
9 years of Brian Mulroney
4.5 months of Kim Campbell
2 years of Joe Clarke
2 years of a Stephen Harper minority
3 years of a Stephen Harper minority
4 years of a Stephen Harper majority
Not a lot of confidence there, and I see no real change this time, so it becomes the devil you know.
9.5 years of Justin Trudeau’s amateurish appeasement policies.
$1.2 TRILLION in debt.
Carney appointing 21 of 24 former cabinet members in the “new” cabinet.
The crass, craven hypocrisy of the carbon tax cancellation…for votes.
More promises of “affordable housing” after 9.5 YEARS of trying.
The same song.
The same dance.
Just the conductor is different.
Thats all I need to remember to vote accordingly.
P.S. You should be thanking Trump for the sudden Liberal bump in the polls
Nonconfidencevote: “P.S. You should be thanking Trump for the sudden Liberal bump in the polls.”
In the current climate, the people we should be thanking are the four Republican Senators who went against Trump and voted with the Dems on the bill to block Canadian bound tariffs.
Mitch McConnell (Kentucky)
Susan Collins (Maine)
Lisa Murkowski (Alaska)
Rand Paul (Kentucky)
A very rare moment of non-partisanship and doing the right thing.
Well, it’s obviously that Canada is not a very conservative country, and it’s not easy for the Conservatives to win. This time, though, I think they have a chance. If Mark Carney wins, he should send President Trump a big present.
A new book is just out: Ripper: The Making of Pierre Poilievre by Mark Bourrie.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books/reviews/article-new-biography-ripper-delivers-a-searing-and-convincing-critique-of/
There is an extensive review in The Globe & Mail (not firewall protected) about the book — to say it is ‘scathing’ would be understatement.
Quote from the G&M reporter, Charlotte Gray: ”Bourrie’s portrait of Poilievre could hardly be more critical, describing him as the angriest person on Canada’s political stage and the nastiest leader of a major party in this country’s history.”
I have not read it, but will before the election. No doubt, a book about Carney must be next.
Told you the media is so biased it is sickening. And of course this book comes out just before the election – coincidence or??? We think we have freedoms but we really don’t in Canada. We are doomed.
There will be no book about Carney of course, because he is perfect for their agenda.
Actually, the Globe & Mail tends to lean slightly right.
https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/the-globe-and-mail/
I’m sure you’ll counter with ‘mediabiasfactcheck.com’ is a woke liberal fake site.
I’m curious — have you ever voted Liberal? Many of us have voted for all the major parties, depending on who is running, their qualifications, their platform, and current events. My first ballot in 1972 went provincially to Dave Barrett. But I’ve voted conservative several times over the years. Are you a “Trump base” type conservative who would vote for your party no matter who the leader is?
Old Islander, I would read your blog. Every time you comment, I think that’s exactly what I think and wish I had the words to say. Cheers.
You are very demeaning as most left leaning people seem to be these days. And stop with that MAGA Trump crap already, it’s disgusting to say the least. It only shows one thing about your lack of ability to talk decently about politics without name calling or shaming…. What is wrong with you???? Maybe it’s time for you to grow up and actually look at what’s been happening in the country to see what is wrong with voting the Liberals back in again.
I have voted for all sorts of parties. I grew up under Schreyer’s NDP in Manitoba and they were consistently good for the people. I stopped voting Liberal federally when Pierre Trudeau decimated the oil industry when we were living in Alberta.
The Globe and Mail is not actually a very conservative paper at all. One of its reporters is a cousin of Justin’s half-sister’s mother, Andrew Coyne and you do see him all the time on CBC touting the liberal agenda. So no, the paper is not liberal at all. And if he is close to Trudeau guess what types of stories he writes??? It doesn’t take a genius like yourself to guess eh???
The Globe and mail has been left Liberal leaning for several years.
To counter the National Post right Conservative leaning position.
The oldest game in the newspaper bag of tricks.
G&M pro Lib.
Nat Po pro Con.
It very obvious.
Guess we have two very untrusty worthy leaders in Carney and Poilievre. Under the headline “Let’s call Carney’s Brookfield Bermuda move what it is: tax avoidance, now no longer allowed” in the Globe and Mail Allan Lanthier states “Mr. Carney says the tax strategy was designed to benefit Canadian pension plans and that there was no avoidance of tax. The former is true, but the latter is not. Booking profits in a tax haven is indeed tax avoidance.”
Lanthier concludes the article with “Tax avoidance is perfectly legal: Taxpayers have the right to arrange their affairs to pay the minimum amount of tax required by law, and Brookfield executives have a duty to their public shareholders to maximize after-tax earnings. That is what Mr. Carney should have said. In any event, while opportunities for tax planning still exist, the days of zero-taxed corporate income have come to a screeching halt.”
Lanthier is a retired partner of an international accounting firm and has been an adviser to both the Department of Finance and the Canada Revenue Agency.
Link https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/commentary/article-lets-call-carneys-brookfield-bermuda-move-what-it-is-tax-avoidance-now/
Not Sure asked a very good question. He wants to know what I would say if Mark Carney were leading the Conservatives. I find that very hard to imagine because Mark Carney was Justin Trudeau’s economic advisor and he has environmental policies that are more aligned with left-wing parties. However, if he were the leader of the Conservatives and Karina Gould were the leader of the Liberals, I suppose I’d favour Mark Carney, but believe me, I wouldn’t be too enthusiastic in my support.
When Jean Chretien ran against Kim Campbell, I voted for Jean Chretien. I felt that the Conservatives had been in power for a long time, and there was too much corruption under Brian Mulroney. For me, Kim Campbell was arrogant and couldn’t really connect with ordinary Canadians.
If Mark Carney were the leader of the Conservatives and former Liberal MP Dan McTeague were the leader of the Liberals, I’d support the Liberals. I’m not really sure if that’s possible because I don’t know if Dan McTeague can speak French, but in any case, I prefer Dan McTeague to Mark Carney. By the way, Dan McTeague doesn’t like Mark Carney and supports the Conservatives in this election.
In any case, my vote for the Conservatives isn’t automatic. Is it ideal that Pierre Poilievre has little experience outside politics? No, it isn’t, but I also know that Mark Carney’s policies as Governor of the Bank of England created high inflation, know that there are credible reports he plagiarized his doctoral thesis, know that Brookfield Asset Management got a very big loan from China and moved its headquarters from Toronto to New York, and Mark Carney now says he won’t repeal anti-pipeline legislation. For me the choice is clear.
I don’t get the obsession with Carney advising Trudeau. He also advised Harper. If he hadn’t entered the political arena he’d probably be advising PM PP.
A lot of Justin Trudeau’s policies (carbon tax, net zero, anti-pipeline legislation, DEI, massive immigration) are similar to those of Mark Carney. I highly doubt he’d advise Pierre Poilievre. Their policies are very different.
Stu de baker
I was trying to find out the name of the individual “pulling the strings” in the back room.
Man or woman doesn’t matter to me. I now know the name
I am not disagreeing with your headline Harvey but I will toss in a caveat. Regardless of whatever substance is presented by Poilievre (or Carney), we are still left wondering whether we can believe the policies are workable and/or whether the party is capable of implementing them. Impressions are always in play.
Just for an example, if the roles were reversed, and a career banker type,was the new leader of the Conservatives and a career politician was the leader of the Liberals would that change the opinions of some of your readers.
For a wide variety of reasons, some self inflicted, some completely out of their control, the Liberal record, but even more so with Trudeau personally, the Conservatives had an easy target. But affordability, housing, healthcare etc have always been issues. With Trump, it is not just the immediate tariff issue and whether it gets solved in a month or two. I think Canadians are realizing that we can’t always rely on the US. Maybe we have been too complacent with the US as our neighbour. Maybe we can do even better searching out other markets on top of whatever trade we do with the US. Who is best to help us shift our economy going forward. A career banker or a career politician.
And to be fair, to Marge and Gilbert and others, if Carney were leading the Conservatives I would be looking for reasons not to trust him either. Politics. Strange game.
(Response: Now, there’s an unusual concept: expecting voters to evaluate whether “policies are workable”. They’ve never done that before … at any governmental level! Preferring instead to buy unrealistic promises, even impossible dreams. That’s why so many are so disappointed, disillusioned so fast. Now, being a career politician is not an asset, regardless of party. Voters see it as a kind of silver spoon political background: Poilievre is tied to that, but not as bad so far as David Lewis’s son Stephen laboured under that. Justin, however, overcame that, as did Elmer Mackay’s son Peter (at least for a while) so I don’t think it will prove the unsurmountable obstacle for Poilievre. He’s got more serious other problems! H.o)
Stu de Baker
Not saying because she is a woman. Wanted someone who knew her name speak up…
Man or woman the results speak for themselves….putting the messages out by Pierre just happens to be a woman…did I clarify myself Stu de Baker?
PP’s commercial with the living in a nice house on a safe street is just gross. the man is out of touch with reality. he’s is just a slogan. Doubtful he has any real ideas. He is just too close to MAGA. Can not be sure he won’t bring in legislation to restrict women’s right to chose and then there is his track record while part of the Harper disaster. Any one who is in cabinet of a government which passes 9 pieces of leg. which they were advised contravenes the Constitution is not to be trusted. All 9 of those pieces of legislation were over turned by the Supreme Court of Canada on the basis of violating the Constitution. Not willing to take a chance on that person.
pp doesn’t offer any solutions or even suggestions of making positive changes. All we have heard from him is the negative shit and then of course the “out of touch commercial.” He hasn’t said anything about health care, immigration, housing, etc.
PP just comes across as a nasty piece of business.
He doesn’t have enough international experience to deal with the world and its ever changing challenges. He might be o.k. as a small town mayor but as P.M. of our country, not so much.
The other problem I see with PP and his party is there doesn’t appear to be any others running who could assist him in dealing with the job.
Can’t remember when the Cons ever did much of anything to improve the lives of the people of Canada, except those in the “family trust” group.
My take on things is, the Cons. were thinking it didn’t matter who they ran as leader just as long as it wasn’t Trudeau. Carney will be a much better choice than PP.
(Response: Clearly, you are not undecided. 🙂 But to reach those who are, Poilievre should realize slogans may amuse and make a point, but people want to really know what/how you will do to solve real problems. Poilievre is coming up with ideas and policy proposals … but he has to realize the media will always opt for catchy slogans … so he should not serve them up for them! H.o)
The only reason to re-elect this party is if you are satisfied with the results they have produced not promised.
And here are the results for you all to read for yourselves: Ten years of post national no core identity, scandal after scandal, climate carbon tax, free drugs, encampments wherever one pleases, soft on no consequence crime, acceptance of illegal antisemitic street protests, divineness on race, religion and gender identity, disrespect on world stage – short on NATO funding, disgraced military, out of control international spending, disregard for border security – drugs & guns, and mass unvetted immigration to pressure healthcare, shelter, food, education, housing, overall decline in living standard and of course and huge debt load for the generations to follow. And let’s not forget the allegiance to China by Trudeau and now apparently Carney.
Maybe EAF if you actually read the Conservative policies and see what they offer before blindly following Carney or Singh off the cliffs, you might
(Response: That’s my dilemma: the Liberal record. Plus, my own philosophy that ANY government gets stale/arrogant after two (three at most) terms and should be replaced. I’m leaning towards change. H.o)
Don’t have to read the Conservative policies. I have seen how they governed while this country had Conservative P.M.s from Deif on. Wouldn’t believe a word they said. PP simply is a nasty piece of business with no real experience on the international stage or dealing with people like Trump. PP’s carry on about nice houses, safe streets, etc. Does he actually expect voters to believe any of that. We may need a “war time” P.M. and he simply doesn’t have that type of intellect. The stock market took a big dive today, well make that yesterday. Voters aren’t going to be thinking of “the list” when they are more concerned about Trump’s comments about Gov. Trudeau and the 51st State. Although it is interesting some one pointed out today since Trump and Carney had the “chat” Trump has not referred to the Canadian P.M. as Gov. nor mention us becoming the 51st state. We also didn’t have the full load of tariffs dumped on us. Now that maybe because some American Senators may be willing to vote with Democrats to roll back the tarriffs on Canada or something Carney said during the telephone chat. As to how I’ll vote, it going to be like it was when Harper lost the election, many voted Any One But Harper
This time it will be, if the Liberals can win this riding, that is where my vote goes. I and others are simply more concerned about the future of our country. PP isn’t going to be of any use and the NDP isn’t going to form a majority government. No vote splitting. I’ve read what some European countries are preparing for. The Gov. of Illinois’s speech is making some important points
Christy Clark was dispensed with as soon as she jumped up and down saying “pick me, pick me” so I was surprised when reading about Paul Chiang not being purged.
Liberal candidate Gregor Robertson, Vancouver Fraserview-South Burnaby, is one the CPC should be scrutinizing, since he slid in under the radar. History paints him as not the best Vancouver Mayor and for the last five years has been hand in glove with a serial creator of get rich quick, business failures.
Robertson was an Executive Vice President with Nexii Building Solutions, a “green” company which in just under three years, became the fastest company to achieve unicorn status, only to be bankrupt, shortly thereafter.
Knowing the founder of Nexii for decades, this was a pattern repeated several times over, where the few at the top accumulated wealth from mom-and-pop investors, who lost it all.
A very shady business practice, which Robertson, in his position, should have known was happening.
(Response: Robertson’s history and record will be fair game during the campaign … in business and as mayor. Chiang is out …has withdrawn as a candidate. Still need to know whether he was pushed behind the scenes or just saw a poll that showed he had no way of winning. H.o)
It seems that the RCMP are now opening an investigation into the Chiang affair and that would mean either withdraw or be tossed.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/paul-chiang-liberal-candidate-withdraws-election-2025-1.7498693
It was an utterly stupid comment to make and Carney should have withdrawn party support from him immediately.
He will probably end up as ambassador to Germany or something along those lines.
As for Robertson, if the Conservatives were smart, they should dissect his time as mayor as a stink arises from that era and still does. That is what researchers are for.
Both politcal parties are shooting themselves in the foot but……………….the election is no longer about taxes, housing, etc., it is about Canada and the Conservatives are far too late at the platform as the election train has left the station.
Trumps demented rantings are getting more and more bizarre every day and Canadians are worried, very worried.
All the politcal parties have utterly failed to proide any vision of the future, but the Liberal messaging is such that the Liberals have a grip on the situation.
The Conservatives, lost inter anti-Trudeau ennui have failed to entice anyone, except their base, that they could do better.
Sadly the MAGA playbook, borrowed but the Conservatives, doesn’t read so well in Canada these days.
(Response: The Mad Hatter is indeed mad! The other day he said the country of Columbia would be included in tariffs … then reversed his decision within 24 hours when someone pointed out how damaging a 25% increase in coffee prices would be for Americans. Nothing he says/does today or tomorrow will necessarily still apply next week. Some way to govern a country! H.o)
Yes the Mad Hatter indeed. Here is the problem, Trump is, according to his niece who is a practicing physiologist, displaying all the traits of a malignant narcissist, in full view of a world audience.
The USA under Trump/Vance/Musk is turning into a classic gangster operation (like Russia, China and a few other countries), shaking down everyone they can, which translates into “you cannot trust the USA”.
For Canada, it is time to cut the apron strings and that means higher taxes and less perks, to keep what we have. We had a nice 80 year ride but it is back to the drawing board for the next 80.
It will be a miracle if Pierre Poilievre gets to be P.M. The cards (in this case the media) are heavily stacked against him. If he comes out with a proposal for energy as he did recently, we get an “experts say what is wrong with this” on Global, CTV and the good old bastion of Liberal propaganda the CBC. If he talks about crime or drugs again the same bad attitude towards him appears. Carney can lie on camera to all of us and the media lap it up as if he is the coming Messiah for Canada. No mention of his past, his views and how they have switched within a month – no questions of his assets, his Paul Martining his money offshore, whatever he says is golden and whatever the “other guy” say is crap. Sad but absolutely true.
A good example of this is when Carney does the support of the Chinese candidate who wants the other Chinese candidate handed over to China routine, where did you hear on Global, CTV or CBC that this is wrong. Indeed this is all CBC said: “Carney, who said today that he spoke with Chiang over the weekend, has stood by the candidate, telling reporters that the Liberal candidate has apologized and is a person of integrity.’’ And an almost identical comment from Global about this. No outrage, nothing whatsoever.
So you are not going to hear much about the Conservative platform from the media other than to dismiss it and bring on “experts’ who disagree with it. This will never happen with Carney and because of this we will be stuck with another Liberal government.
The liberals were clever to let the conservatives bring on their policies early. Remember even you yourself Harvey were calling on them to do so. As soon as it was done, all these policies were “stolen” by the Liberals. Doesn’t this remind you of Animal Farm at all? Carbon tax good and now carbon tax bad! How stupid and how gullible is the Canadian public? Apparently very and very easy to trick given the media’s sway over them. My cousin actually told me that Poilievre owns stock in Carney’s company and must agree with him. I reminded her that our CPP owns stock in it and did this mean we both had a say in off-shoring the company…. If an average person can buy the garbage we are doomed and they are buying it. I can only wait for the likes of the D.M. Johnson and EAF to sing the praises of Carney and denigrate those of the Conservatives…. I find it absolutely disgusting myself but then on the other hand when everything goes to hell in a handbasket with the Liberal government, at least I can say that I didn’t vote for them.
(Response: I have been travelling again (I’m retired! 🙂 ) so I haven’t seen much Canadian, especially local, TV. I think a key to this campaign will be the TV debates: Poilievre, surprisingly, will be the underdog. He will have to impress with substance, calmness and competence… not nastiness and snipiness! Carney will try to appear statesmanlike, with firmness and a national pride streak. watch for it! 🙂 H.o)
And dumping three candidates for past issues, tells me the conservatives vetting those running under their banner is wanting.
The “Wee P” acted decisively, which contrasts well with Carney, who did not, but three MP wannabees in 48 hours, send a bad message to the voter.
The conservative campaign has stalled and it is making me wonder if the infighting with the Maple MAGA’s and the “old Tory’s” has now become terminal.
I believe Pierre Poilievre’s advisor is Jenni Byrne. She should read Harvey’s latest post and make changes to the campaign. It’s true that people want more than just slogans. Canadians want substance because the country has many problems and they want to feel sure that he can change the country for the better.
It’s very important to emphasize that Pierre Poilievre understands the concerns of Canadians, will fight hard for the country and can improve the economy. The Liberals have given him many issues. He can address immigration, the cost of living, crime and economic diversification. He can also remind voters that he will work hard to minimize foreign interference in Canadian elections.
(Response: You’re correct. And I’d repeat my response to Marge: the debates will make or break this campaign. H.o)
I can’t remember such incompetent tone-deaf messaging. If the Conservatives lose, their strategists should look in the mirror. They literally watched Rob Ford ride a Trump tirade into a huge majority. Meanwhile Pierre is still bleating about expired taxes and a PM who resigned months ago. Just bizarre.
Eldon you are 100% correct.
I filled out a Conservative survey over a month ago and told them their message was stale, irritating, irrelevant and pointless.
They had to pivot.
The Liberals were hammering with negative ads MONTHS before the election was called.
Conservatives?
Just kept playing the Carbon Tax Carney ads over and over and over.
They needed to pivot a month ago.
Whoever is in charge should have been fired months ago.
Hi Harvey, as a famous Chinese book on War says and I will paraphrase, “when your enemy is shooting himself in the foot, don’t get in his way!”
I imagine you have seen that Mark Carney has decided keep his MP even after he said someone should take his opponent to the Chinese Embassy and collect the million dollar bounty the Chinese have placed on his head.
I don’t think this was very well thought out by the Liberal brain-trust, however I can imagine a small smile on Pierre’s face. I do think this shows Carney is just as arrogant as Trudeau (maybe even more-so, if that’s possible) and just as principled. This was an egregious and dangerous thing to say. I imagine it would make a lot of Chinese very nervous and very concerned for themselves and their families here and in China and Hong Kong.
(Response: Voters ..and the media … really have to start asking how much of the “old’ Liberal philosophy/policies/programs will be dropped, changed or retained if Carney/Liberals win another term??? I know Carney comes across better (I’ve actually written so) when it comes to image/statements regarding Trump/tariffs … BUT I also believe that dispute won’t really go on as long as some expect. So Canadians should choose the leader/government/party they trust to improve their lot over the next four years, not four months. H.o)
Excellent post Harvey.
When I first saw the ad about “living in a beautiful home on a safe street….” I thought it was pretty hokey. He has got to change gears and fast.
Someone should do Mr. Poilievre a favour and send him a copy of your post.
(Response: I’m sure someone in the Conservative campaign is closely monitoring social media, including this blog … and the comments from readers, or maybe I should say voters. If they are not paying heed, they do so at their own political peril. I know the Greens and the Liberals are reading it, because for the past year, I have received Press Releases and even invites to appearances by Minister and Trudeau in BC. (Not bad for someone who has been “retired” for years! 🙂 H.o)
I must agree with your analysis. Polliviere is just not giving substance to back those slogans. It’s like not putting the money where the mouth is. I thought he would have picked up on this, but he’s not. I’m kind of ticked. If this is all I see so far and it continues then I will have to rethink my voting strategy. It’s not helping either when I’m starting to get the feeling that he comes off sounding tough, but it’s all deception of the worst kind beyond standard political fibbing whereby he and his people, MPs and such are really more aligned in spirit with Team Trumps frightening agendas. We sure do live in fragile times. I feel a bit of cold dark thoughts coming over me about Polliviere and his people lately. Not sure I’m ready to go for him. They’re starting to worry me. I may have had the angry and frustrated at Team Trudeau syndrome and pushed towards Polliviere. I’m not so sure now. Oh the political rollercoaster. It’s not so easy to jump off the ride.
(Response: In the end, the question many voters will face is whether they trust Poilievre enough to give him a try … or are willing to go for another four years of the Liberals’ policies/track record. Very tough decision!! H.o)
Great piece and so bloody true. If Pierre doesn’t change his message he is a goner. I understand that the individual leading him is a woman and I can’t remember her name. Perhaps the message should be directed to her. Or is she stubborn ..if the Conservatives hope to form government they must first form better messages to the electorate. That piece in the National Post is right on and so are you Harvey…
(Response: Just trying to keep it real. Slogans can be quite useful and powerful; but, lousy slogans or too many of them sound silly and make the candidate look amateurish. Poilievre/Conservatives have a lot better material to work with … the anger, hurt and frustrations of Canadians that built up over the past years of Liberal government. That’s the nerve I believe Poilievre should press … over and over. And of course, take a tough stand as well on Trump/tariffs. H.o)
Bendelmac, are you saying Poilievre has bad messaging because, “the individual leading him is a woman”?
It sure reads that way.
My my.
Aren’t we easily triggered.