Pierre Poilievre seeks political comeback in Canada amid Trump shadow
Poilievre, once a frontrunner for prime minister, lost his Ottawa-area seat in April's general election as voters shifted towards Liberal leader Mark Carney.
The Conservative leader now faces a critical by-election in Battle River-Crowfoot, a right-leaning Alberta district, to re-enter parliament.
Experts warn that even if he wins, Poilievre may struggle to regain momentum in a political landscape still shaped by Trump's policies.
Frederic Boily, a University of Alberta political scientist, noted some voters still view Poilievre as 'a little Trump,' a damaging label in Canada.
New Gallup data reveals Canadian approval of US leadership at a record low of 15%, with Trump's trade policies harming key industries.
Poilievre has tried distancing himself from Trump while criticising Carney's handling of US-Canada relations.
'President Trump is the one putting these tariffs on Canadians, but Mark Carney is the one who promised Canadians he could 'handle him' and 'win,'' Poilievre said recently.
Donald Abelson, a McMaster University expert, argues Poilievre is capitalising on frustration over tariffs but lacks a long-term strategy.
'If Poilievre overplays the Trump card, he's making a mistake,' Abelson told AFP.
Boily added that Poilievre's base remains drawn to Trump-era issues like anti-globalism, complicating his traditional conservative stance.
Monday's by-election presents another hurdle—a record 214 candidates due to a protest group pushing for electoral reform.
Voters must write their preferred candidate's name, an unusual measure to simplify the process amid the crowded ballot.
A loss could deepen doubts about Poilievre's leadership, while a win may still leave him battling Trump's lingering shadow. - AFP
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The Sun
21 minutes ago
- The Sun
We need law and order in Washington
THE last time I was in Washington, DC, I came out of my downtown hotel near the White House and asked the doorman which way to walk to a certain restaurant. 'Turn left, you will be fine,' he said. 'Turn right and you may be murdered.' This, in the hallowed capital of the world's most powerful nation. I was already well familiar with the many dangers of one of America's most crime-ridden cities. As a graduate of the Foreign Service School of Georgetown University, I knew all about street crime. A girlfriend of mine, Barbara M., was raped and murdered in trendy Georgetown. A CIA officer was killed in Georgetown by a mugger. We lived in a swamp of violence and fear. The city police were useless. The city's black mayors ordered the police to avoid antagonising the city's 80% black voters. Washington once held the nation's highest murder rate, rivalled by Baltimore, Cleveland and Detroit. I used to own a manufacturing company across the river from Detroit. Our general manager was murdered there during a holdup. Crime rates in the US are intolerable. The key problem arose from America's black people. It was our curse and punishment for slavery. Millions of black Americans had no education, family, discipline or reason to observe the laws. Social problems were the cause but so was sheer lawlessness. The crime rate in South Africa's cities, as I observed, was as bad as in the US. I rarely agree with President Donald Trump but this time I applaud his sending of federal agents, the National Guard and more police into DC. This is a real emergency. Even way back when I was at Georgetown University, we used to say, 'Mr President, please send in the US Army and Marine Corps to DC'. Until now, there has been almost no law or order in DC. No action was taken for fear of creating a major racial crisis. Democrats, who relied on black votes, thwarted effective action to impose law and order. The same thing happened – to a somewhat lesser degree – in my native New York. Now, none too soon, comes Trump's iron fist. This is classical dictatorial behaviour. Lucius Cornelius Sulla did this in ancient Rome around 60BC. Mussolini made the trains run on time. The public always prefers law and order to abstractions about proper democratic behaviour and loves political theatrics, such as the former showman Trump offers nightly. Washington needs martial law but authoritarian governance is, as was said of fire, 'a useful servant but a dangerous master'. The draconian steps taken by Trump in Los Angeles and now Washington are very dangerous. The Trump administration is too drunk on power and could quickly become addicted to using martial law to enforce its policies. Such, as noted, was the case with the Roman Republic that quickly slid into dictatorship. The Roman Senate was turned into an impotent talking shop where mad emperor Caligula proposed making his horse a senator. One would not be astounded to see such lunacy in today's US Congress with a moonshiner made head of the FBI. So, Trump's imposition of law and order in Washington, DC must be limited by Congress to remain only in the District of Columbia. Congress is too busy taking great sums of money from the White House – much of it is supplied by gambling interests and a foreign 'ally'. Time to think of America, which should be as free of street crime as Europe.
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Dollar braces for busy week of geopolitics and Fed speak
U.S. Dollar banknotes are seen in this illustration taken July 17, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration SINGAPORE: The dollar dithered on Monday ahead of a key meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskiy, while investors also looked ahead to the Federal Reserve's Jackson Hole symposium for more policy clues. Currency moves were largely subdued in the early Asia session, though the dollar steadied after last week's fall as traders further pared back bets of a jumbo Fed cut next month. The euro was little changed at $1.1705, while sterling edged up 0.07% to $1.3557. Against a basket of currencies, the dollar advanced slightly to 97.85, after losing 0.4% last week. Markets are now pricing in an 84% chance the Fed would ease rates by a quarter point next month, down from 98% last week, after a raft of data including a jump in U.S. wholesale prices last month and a solid increase in July's retail sales figures dimmed the prospect of an oversized 50-basis-point cut. "While the data don't all point in the same direction, the U.S. economy looks to be in okay shape in the third quarter," said Bill Adams, chief economist at Comerica Bank. "The Fed is likely to cut interest rates by year-end, either in September, when markets now price in a cut, or a few months later, when Comerica forecasts a cut." The main event for investors on Monday is a meeting between Trump and Zelenskiy, who will be joined by some European leaders, as Washington presses Ukraine to accept a quick peace deal to end Europe's deadliest war in 80 years. Trump is leaning on Zelenskiy to strike an agreement after he met Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin in Alaska and emerged more aligned with Moscow on seeking a peace deal instead of a ceasefire first. Also key for markets this week will be the Kansas City Federal Reserve's August 21-23 Jackson Hole symposium, where Fed Chair Jerome Powell is due to speak on the economic outlook and the central bank's policy framework. "I think (Powell) will also talk about the current economic conditions in the U.S., and that will be more policy relevant, that will be more interesting to markets," said Joseph Capurso, head of international and sustainable economics at Commonwealth Bank of Australia. "Given market pricing is very high for a rate cut in September, I think the risk is that Powell is hawkish, or is perceived to be hawkish, if he gives a balanced view of the U.S. economy." In other currencies, the dollar rose 0.11% against the yen to 147.34, after falling roughly 0.4% last week. Japan's government on Friday brushed aside rare and explicit comments from U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent who said the Bank of Japan was "behind the curve" on policy, which appeared to be aimed at pressuring the country's central bank into raising interest rates. The Australian dollar was up 0.1% at $0.65145, while the New Zealand dollar rose 0.15% to $0.5934, after falling 0.5% last week. - Reuters
New Straits Times
an hour ago
- New Straits Times
Dollar braces for busy week of geopolitics and Fed speak
SINGAPORE: The dollar dithered on Monday ahead of a key meeting between US President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskiy, while investors also looked ahead to the Federal Reserve's Jackson Hole symposium for more policy clues. Currency moves were largely subdued in the early Asia session, though the dollar steadied after last week's fall as traders further pared back bets of a jumbo Fed cut next month. The euro was little changed at US$1.1705, while sterling edged up 0.07 per cent to US$1.3557. Against a basket of currencies, the dollar advanced slightly to 97.85, after losing 0.4 per cent last week. Markets are now pricing in an 84 per cent chance the Fed would ease rates by a quarter point next month, down from 98 per cent last week, after a raft of data including a jump in US wholesale prices last month and a solid increase in July's retail sales figures dimmed the prospect of an oversized 50-basis-point cut. "While the data don't all point in the same direction, the US economy looks to be in okay shape in the third quarter," said Bill Adams, chief economist at Comerica Bank. "The Fed is likely to cut interest rates by year-end, either in September, when markets now price in a cut, or a few months later, when Comerica forecasts a cut." The main event for investors on Monday is a meeting between Trump and Zelenskiy, who will be joined by some European leaders, as Washington presses Ukraine to accept a quick peace deal to end Europe's deadliest war in 80 years. Trump is leaning on Zelenskiy to strike an agreement after he met Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin in Alaska and emerged more aligned with Moscow on seeking a peace deal instead of a ceasefire first. Also key for markets this week will be the Kansas City Federal Reserve's August 21-23 Jackson Hole symposium, where Fed Chair Jerome Powell is due to speak on the economic outlook and the central bank's policy framework. "I think (Powell) will also talk about the current economic conditions in the US, and that will be more policy relevant, that will be more interesting to markets," said Joseph Capurso, head of international and sustainable economics at Commonwealth Bank of Australia. "Given market pricing is very high for a rate cut in September, I think the risk is that Powell is hawkish, or is perceived to be hawkish, if he gives a balanced view of the US economy." In other currencies, the dollar rose 0.11 per cent against the yen to 147.34, after falling roughly 0.4 per cent last week. Japan's government on Friday brushed aside rare and explicit comments from US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent who said the Bank of Japan was "behind the curve" on policy, which appeared to be aimed at pressuring the country's central bank into raising interest rates. The Australian dollar was up 0.1 per cent at US$0.65145, while the New Zealand dollar rose 0.15 per cent to US$0.5934, after falling 0.5 per cent last week.
