There is no doubt about it: Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre is making Justin Trudeau look better every day. You can take away his glasses, his starched shirts and his insipid ties but the boy is still turning out to be the prime minister’s best friend. What has clinched it is when he plays the Trump card. It is when he fails to win the support of people in his own party.
The first campaign any new party leader must wage is with the naysayers in his or her own party. These people might not have been onside for your leadership campaign but their objectives are the same as yours and there is no easier ally than someone with the same objectives.
If you have been following the ups and downs of Donald Trump in the United States, you will note that he tends to be as vicious with Republicans who have opposed him as he is with Democrats. It turns out that Pierre Poilievre has the same failing.
The recent by-elections exposed the conflicts that are tearing at the conservative party. The Oxford debacle in Ontario drove some conservatives to not only support but work for a liberal candidate. The conservative party can write off most of those former supporters who have felt the sting of Boy Wonder.
And where does Poilievre get off in dumping on Jean Charest and Brian Mulroney in Quebec. They might be has-beens where Poilievre comes from but they are still worth some votes in Quebec and Poilievre needs all the votes he can get in that province.
And then look at Ontario. Good old conservative Ontario. Where the deer and the Fords Play. With a nutbar such as Doug Ford driving things in that province, do you really expect federal conservatives to make headway there? Ford and his conservative government not only ignore the Ontario greenbelt but think it is a great place for their friendly developers to build. With friends like these, the Boy Wonder might have to rethink his entire strategy.
What he is not doing is building any credibility as a leader. For him to spend all his effort on tearing down the liberal government, and its leader is ridiculous. He offers nothing concrete. He would deliver nothing. Why is he wasting our time?
-30-
Copyright 2023 © Peter Lowry
Complaints, comments, criticisms and compliments can be sent to: