Latest news with #ByElection
Free Malaysia Today
3 days ago
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Canadian conservative leader mounts comeback after Trump-linked defeat
Experts say Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre may struggle to regain momentum in a political arena still heavily shaped by the US president. (AFP pic) TORONTO : Pierre Poilievre, who is running to reclaim a seat in Canada's parliament next week, was on track to be prime minister until Donald Trump upended Canadian politics. But even if the Conservative Party leader wins Monday's by-election in one of the country's most right-wing districts, experts say he may struggle to regain momentum in a political arena still heavily shaped by the US president. Poilievre's Conservatives blew a massive polling lead in the run-up to Canada's April general election, as voters backed the new Liberal leader, prime minister Mark Carney, to confront Trump. In a stinging humiliation, Poilievre lost to a Liberal in his own constituency, an Ottawa-area district he had represented for two decades. But the Conservatives performed solidly overall and deprived the Liberals of a majority, allowing Poilievre to suppress calls for him to go as party leader. To return as opposition leader, Poilievre needed to get back into parliament. The MP for Battle River-Crowfoot – a rural district in the western province of Alberta where Conservatives dominate – offered to step down so Poilievre could run for his seat. Poilievre is the favorite but faces an uncertain path should he rejoin parliament, in part because some voters continue to see him as 'a little Trump,' said Frederic Boily, a University of Alberta political scientist. In Canada, that is not a good brand. Trump tension New Gallup data puts Canadian attitudes towards US political leadership at record lows. While the president's threats to make Canada the 51st US state have subsided, his trade war is hurting crucial industries. The Gallup survey shows only 15% of Canadians approve of Washington, the lowest level on record in data going back to 2008. The next lowest approval rate – 16% – was recorded in 2018, during Trump's first term. Seventy-nine percent of Canadians disapprove of US political leadership, a figure only three points better than attitudes towards Vladimir Putin's Russia. Canadian faith in their own leadership has also jumped to 59%, a rise of 19 points since Carney replaced former prime minister Justin Trudeau. Poilievre has sought to make clear that he sees Trump as a rival, but one that Carney is failing to confront. '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 this month. 214 candidates For Donald Abelson, an expert on US-Canada relations at McMaster University, Poilievre is trying to 'feed off the frustration and disillusionment in Canada about the imposition of tariffs and the bullying (while saying) that he, unlike Carney, is prepared to stand up to Trump.' The strategy is limited, Abelson argued, as Canadians want a long-term plan to realign the country away from the US – a central Carney talking point. 'If Poilievre overplays the Trump card, he's making a mistake,' Abelson told AFP. Boily, the political scientist, said Poilievre faces an additional problem – an enduring attachment within his base to issues Trump has elevated. 'It's tough for any conservative leader not to talk about the fight against globalists and wokism because it's the new conservative reality,' Boily told AFP, arguing Poilievre's 'DNA' is more aligned with traditional conservatism, not Trump-inspired populism. If Poilievre loses Monday's election, voter confusion will be the likely cause. There are 214 candidates on the ballot, a record number caused by the Longest Ballot Committee protest group, which wants electoral law reform. Poilievre was targeted by the same group in April, but organizers claim they are not motivated by partisan ideology. Voters on Monday will have to write the name of their preferred candidate on their ballot, not tick a box, an exceptional measure designed to spare people finding the correct name on a 214-candidate list.
Globe and Mail
4 days ago
- Politics
- Globe and Mail
Politics Insider: A by-election win doesn't guarantee safety for Poilievre
Hello, welcome to Politics Insider. Let's look at what happened this week. Set against the backdrop of a rising tide of Alberta separatism, Monday's closely watched by-election in the riding of Battle River-Crowfoot will help decide the political fate of Conservative candidate Pierre Poilievre. As Emma Graney reports from the Alberta city of Camrose, a win would be Poilievre's ticket back to Parliament. There, he can finally debate Prime Minister Mark Carney, rather than sitting on the sidelines where he was relegated to after his bruising April loss to the Liberals in the Ottawa-area riding of Carleton. A by-election win doesn't guarantee safety for Poilievre, however. He is set to face a leadership review in January, after his party failed to win the spring general election despite a strong lead in the polls throughout 2024. But if history is anything to go by, his first steps back to Parliament Hill seem to be on solid ground. Battle River-Crowfoot, with a population of around 110,000 people, is one of Canada's safest Conservative ridings; its former MP, Damien Kurek, won with almost 83 per cent of the vote, then gave up his seat to trigger the by-election. Meanwhile, the union representing Air Canada flight attendants has rejected the airline's proposal for binding arbitration. Dayne Patterson reports that the decision leaves bargaining suspended as time winds down toward an impending strike deadline early Saturday. The airline and the Air Canada Component of CUPE have been in contract negotiations for months over an agreement for more than 10,000 Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge flight attendants. Both sides have blamed the other for stalled negotiations and misinformation about offers on the table. The main sticking points have been wages and time for hours worked. Federal budget watchdog has `no idea' who successor will be despite term ending next month: Yves Giroux, who took on the job in 2018, will mark his final day on Sept. 2, and says he's reached out to the Privy Council Office multiple times for information over the past few months. Trump, Putin meet in Alaska as `high-stakes' summit on Russia-Ukraine ceasefire begins: The pair launched their meeting with a warm handshake today, greeting each other like old friends before heading into hours of discussions that could reshape the war in Ukraine and relations between Moscow and Washington. Ontario government orders public servants back to office five days a week: .'The return to a five days per week in-workplace standard represents the current workforce landscape in the province,' Treasury Board President Caroline Mulroney said in a statement Ottawa has duty to ensure welfare of Canadians in ICE custody, advocates say: The calls come after revelations that Canadian children as young as two years old have been held for weeks in immigration detention this year. Mark Mulroney to join CIBC as global vice-chair: The son of former prime minister Brian Mulroney and his wife, Mila, is leaving his current job as a vice-chair at Bank of Nova Scotia to take on the new assignment on Nov. 17. Prime Minister's Week: Mark Carney was in the National Capital Region and surrounding area this week for what his office described as a reduced schedule to reflect a brief period of local vacation. On Monday, his office reported that Carney spoke with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky on Russia's invasion. Also, Carney spoke with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. And he participated in a virtual meeting of the Coalition of the Willing on support for Ukraine, co chaired by Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Zelensky and U.S. Vice-President JD Vance were also in the meeting. Carney constituency office: Carney was elected MP for the Ottawa-area riding of Nepean in the April federal election. But as The Ottawa Citizen has reported, he has not yet set up a constituency office. Emily Williams, media-relations director for the PMO, said in a statement that the process is under way to confirm an office that meets all security requirements and is conveniently located and accessible for constituents. In the meantime, constituents are being directed, either virtually or in person, to the constituency office of David McGuinty, the defence minister, and long-time MP for the neighbouring riding of Ottawa South. Political Break: The House of Commons is not sitting for the summer. It will resume on Sept. 15. The Senate will sit again on Sept. 23. MPs in the Summer: As part of this weekly summer edition of the newsletter, we are checking in with MPs on what they are up to while the Commons is on break. This week, the focus is on New Democrat Gord Johns, the member for the Vancouver Island riding of Courtenay-Alberni. From the city of Port Alberni, Johns has been witness to the Mount Underwood wildfire. However, he says there is little for an MP to do but use social media to share emergency-management information from local and provincial officials. 'I was born and raised on Vancouver Island and I have never seen anything like it ever. We've had fires, but not at this scale. Two years ago, we had Cameron Lake, which shut our highway down multiple times over the summer. It was extremely frustrating for local residents and deeply alarming. People are triggered from that. But this is much more scary. This is much closer to people's homes. 'I'm looking out my kitchen window. The fire is nine kilometres away from my house right now. It looks like an atomic bomb went off. There's always a chance it could head towards our community. It's 32 degrees Celsius right now. It's dry. This is a large fire and it's moving quickly. We're grateful the wind is moving the fire away from our community, but the wind could change in a heartbeat. 'The smoke is now coming into our community. It was blowing the other way, but now it's coming in rapidly as we're talking now. It smells really bad. It's heavy smoke. Half an hour ago, that wasn't the case. 'Everybody has got a Go Bag. I've got a flashlight. I've got my clothes. I've got water, food, blankets. My car is like a Go Bag normally. I'm a rural MP. My daughter laughed. She said, `You've got a Go Bag. It's your car.' ' This interview has been edited and condensed. New diplomats: Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand has announced three new diplomatic appointments. Details here. Which prominent provincial politician co-founded Air Transat? Scroll to the bottom of this newsletter for the answer. As the democratic world lines up behind Jimmy Lai, Canadian leadership is badly needed Why I added my name to the long ballot in Pierre Poilievre's by-election Got a news tip that you'd like us to look into? E-mail us at tips@ Need to share documents securely? Reach out via SecureDrop. The answer to today's question: Ahead of entering provincial politics, Quebec Premier François Legault co-founded Air Transat in 1986, Until 1997, Legault was the company's chief executive officer. He was first elected to the Quebec National Assembly in 1998. Legault has been premier since 2018, leading his Coalition Avenir Québec party.
