Gerry Nicholls
Gerry Nicholls is a communications consultant.
Gerry Nicholls is a communications consultant.
The PQ are crowing about holding power once again; the Liberals are boasting about doubling their seats, and the Conservatives are positioning themselves as a new force in Quebec politics. Yet, the success these parties achieved wasn’t a result of who they are, but of who they aren’t: the CAQ.
Justin Trudeau’s policies, especially on energy and the environment, are increasingly in question.
Mark Carney has managed to accumulate a mountain of political capital. To my mind, that raises an interesting question. Will he decide to spend all that political capital he’s amassed, or will he hoard it?
Despite the controversy NDP Leader Avi Lewis’ tweet on ‘Jewish people’ stirred up in some circles, Lewis is betting it won’t cost the NDP any votes.
Pierre Poilievre’s real problem isn’t that he is facing discontent from within his caucus; it’s that he’s losing support from important Conservatives from without.
The political reality is that Canadians don’t want to bend the knee to Donald Trump, no matter what the economic costs; hence they fully support Mark Carney’s aggressive response. The other political reality is that this public attitude puts Canada’s opposition parties in a quandary.
Rightly or wrongly, the public’s perception is that Mark Carney deserves credit for the good economic news, and in politics the perception of truth always trumps the actual truth.
Whatever most politicians usually do, the U.S. president will do the opposite. Trump is a political aberration, which means his actions can’t be predicted with any certainty. This is what makes him a true agent of chaos.
New Democrats must mainly focus on keeping their supporters energized and motivated, which won’t happen if the party suddenly dilutes its progressive principles and values.
Yes, Pierre Poilievre and his Conservatives won the second quarter fundraising race. But the number of donation dollars coming in for the Conservatives has drastically dropped since the last quarter, and that is what the media and pundits have focused on.
The missionaries run think tanks and advocacy groups, which can come up with good policy ideas. The mercenaries, for their part, are experts in political combat. So, maybe they should just try to get along.
There are times when pollsters will ignore your answers. But don’t take it personally. It’s just how the business works.
So who’s to blame for this political mess? Kory Teneycke or Pierre Poilievre? In my view, both men are at fault.
If the NDP is going to have long-term success, it’ll need to build its foundation on rock. This is something I think newly minted leader Avi Lewis understands.
Either, like Mark Carney, you define yourself, or, like Pierre Poilievre, you allow yourself to be defined. Poilievre has lost control of his own narrative, which is a recipe for bad publicity.
Despite the divisions within our country, Canada has remained intact and has flourished for 159 years. I think that’s because, amongst all the tribes in this country, there also exists a strong ‘Canadian tribe.’