Josie Sabatino is a senior consultant at Summa Strategies. Prior to joining Summa, Sabatino spent nearly a decade as a Conservative political staffer, providing communications and issues management advice to Members of Parliament and the leader of the official opposition.
It is often easier to turf a leader than unite as a movement, fight for shared values, and work through differences behind closed doors.
Failure to effectively thread the needle between the international agenda and challenges here at home could see the same downward spiral that originally set the stage for Mark Carney’s political rise.
Love him or hate him, the Conservative leader has demonstrated his willingness to fight for the future of Canada.
It is critical to not repeat past mistakes, and for the Carney government to approach renewed relationships with countries like China with eyes wide open.
The Liberals appear to have made the calculation that securing new voters from the Conservative base is far more advantageous than strictly appealing to the existing coalition that re-elected his party.
Recent drama led to an outcry that Pierre Poilievre’s days are numbered, but the headlines don’t reflect the fact that much of the fallout has largely been contained.
Advancing major projects may be a consequence of Canada-U.S. tensions, but it’s unclear how the prime minister can reconcile this approach with caucus members who favour more decisive climate action.
Delivering a true austerity budget would require scaling back departmental budgets to a degree almost certain to spark political blowback.
The Conservative defeat last election brings a new opportunity to move beyond the risk-averse messaging of a campaign, and seize the political moment.
The summer months often provide a buffer from intense public scrutiny, but come fall, all eyes will be on the government as it unveils its plans.
Change cannot come at the expense of transparency and accountability, and the new government would do well to remember that before it finds itself becoming the headline.
The prime minister must now prove that ‘experience’ is more than just a campaign slogan, and that he is prepared to unite a divided country in pursuit of shared prosperity.
Showcasing energized supporters at every stop serves not only as momentum-building, but also as a critical internal motivator for the thousands of volunteers.
As we saw in 2021, timing and circumstances are crucial, as are the very real impacts of divisive policies.
This neatly houses Pierre Poilievre’s domestic agenda while giving the Conservatives the flexibility to prove they are up to the task of fighting for a way of life that has slowly been eroded.
While the country finds itself in a moment of crisis, watch for political messaging to start shifting.
