In politics, a ‘near victory’ is a defeat

Why did so many voters conclude that it was more important to stop Poilievre than to deny the Liberals a rare 'four-peat?' How can they win if federal politics are indeed a two-horse race for at least the near future?

Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre at a whistle-stop rally at Olde Stanley’s Maple Lane Farm in Edwards, Ont., on April 27, 2025.The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Opinion

BY KEN POLK

May 15, 2025

One of the basic axioms of classical military strategy is to encourage the loser to think that if it had not been for a few changes of luck, victory would have been theirs. In other words, encourage them to treat a loss like a near victory so that they are distracted from th...

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