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Toronto Sun
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Toronto Sun
GOLDSTEIN: ‘One and done' isn't working for the Conservatives
Get the latest from Lorrie Goldstein straight to your inbox Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre addresses supporters at his campaign headquarters on election night, in Ottawa, Tuesday, April 29, 2025. Photo by Christinne Muschi / THE CANADIAN PRESS Before the Conservatives decide Pierre Poilievre's political fate, they should consider how their 'one and done' approach of dumping their leader after one election loss, ever since Stephen Harper was defeated in 2015, has worked out for them. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The answer is not well. Andrew Scheer, who won the party's leadership race in 2017, resigned following the 2019 election after failing to defeat then-prime minister Justin Trudeau and the Liberals, although he did reduce them from a majority to a minority government. Erin O'Toole, who won the party leadership in 2020, resigned in 2022 after he was ousted by the Conservative caucus, following his defeat by Trudeau in the 2021 election, with the Liberals winning a second minority government. The question facing Conservatives is whether they should now dump Poilievre, who lost to Mark Carney and the Liberals in the April 28 election, after blowing a double-digit lead in the polls and losing his own seat. The Conservatives are going through the same process the Liberals did after then-party leader Paul Martin lost the 2006 election and the minority government he had led since 2004 to Harper, who won a Conservative minority. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The Liberals subsequently elected Stéphane Dion as party leader in 2006, who led them into the 2008 election and resigned after Harper won a second Conservative minority government. The Liberals replaced Dion with Michael Ignatieff in 2009, who lost to Harper, who won a majority government, in 2011. Ignatieff quit after the party fell to third place in the House of Commons in their worst showing ever — behind the Conservatives and NDP, who became the official opposition. Ignatieff was replaced by Trudeau, elected Liberal leader in 2013, who in 2015 defeated Harper, boosting the Liberals from third place to a majority government. Trudeau followed with election victories (albeit minority ones) in 2019 and 2021, before he resigned in January during an internal Liberal party revolt, ending with them electing Mark Carney, who won another minority government in the April 28 election, while significantly improving the Liberals' popular vote and seat count. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. So the choice now facing the Conservatives is whether Poilievre gives them the best chance of winning the next election, or whether they should seek a new leader in hopes he or she will repeat Trudeau's electoral success in 2015. This is in light of Poilievre's failure to win this election, as had been widely expected, although he did significantly improve Conservative party standings and the popular vote. In making that decision, the Conservatives should consider that their most successful and only prime minister in the last two decades was Harper, who was given a second chance to defeat the Conservatives after losing his first attempt in the 2004 election. Entering that election, the Conservatives were competitive with the Liberals, with many polls projecting they would win a minority government. But Harper's campaign went off the rails in part because of controversial statements by Conservative candidates, and for a time, there was speculation Harper, disappointed with being defeated by the Liberals, would resign, although he had reduced the Liberals from a majority to a minority government. In the end, Harper didn't quit and went on to serve as prime minister for nine years, winning minority governments in 2006 and 2008 and a majority government in 2011. In deciding what to do next, Conservatives should examine their own history because based on it, Poilievre merits a second chance. Television MLB Toronto Maple Leafs World Canada
CBC
20-04-2025
- Politics
- CBC
These immigrants say Canada failed to plan for a population explosion. Now it's their top election issue
Joana Valamootoo felt Canada was a welcoming place when she immigrated here from Mauritius in 2012, but that sense has faded in recent years as immigration numbers have gone up and up. "I came here in 2012 on a francophone initiative program, an immigration program, and I was welcome, but I was also provided what I needed to succeed here," she said. She believes that's no longer the case for newcomers to the country. CBC has been asking people across the country about the issues that matter most to them in the April 28, 2025, federal election. What issue matters the most to you this federal election, and why? Share your personal stories with us at ask@ While immigration has taken a backseat to concerns like national unity and tariffs Valamootoo said it's top of mind for her. She wants to hear leaders talk about how they will integrate newcomers into the country. "I think the past three years there has been a lot of mistakes by the federal government with regard to how many people they were letting in." She feels that's led to a rise in racism and a backlash against immigrants and international students, who've been blamed for crises in housing and education. "I think we need a leader that can bring people together, instead of creating division," she said. As Canada's population has pushed past 41 million people, Canadians and immigrants alike have expressed concern about whether the country has planned enough to incorporate new immigrants into workspaces, schools and homes. The Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association recently commissioned a poll, which found 68 per cent of Saskatchewan people surveyed online supported reducing immigration. Parties lack vision to plan, says Calgary voter Sanjeev Kumar came to Canada on a work permit in 2008 to work in Alberta's restaurant industry and recently opened his own restaurant in northeast Calgary. He's also seen a rise in anti-immigrant sentiment, which he believes is intensified by immigrants being willing to work in minimum wage jobs and creating intense competition for work. "Nobody has a job right now. People are struggling. Everyone is struggling. Groceries are so expensive," he said. Kumar said the problem hits international students and other newcomers particularly badly. He has students coming to him, asking for work. "They are in college, about to finish, but they don't have money … they don't have food to eat." Compare all the parties' platforms on immigration using CBC's tracker on election promises. Kumar said these students and people on work permits also don't have the same clear path to residency that he did when he came to Canada. Kumar got his permanent residency in three years. "That time actually, when Harper government was there, I think everything is controlled," he said, adding there needs to be a balance between immigration and integration. "Right now there's no balance there. They don't know what they are doing." Since getting his citizenship, Kumar has voted Conservative, but said he's not convinced either of the two main parties have a bold plan to bolster the economy and ensure there's a stronger job market for newcomers and Canadians alike. "They are just thinking, small thinking [like] we just take out carbon tax," he said. "They don't have a clear vision for Canada." Settlement services face cuts Ali Abukar, CEO for the Saskatoon Open Door Society, said settlement services like his are among those that help newcomers integrate to Canada with things like employment training and language education. He said the federal government has scaled back money for these organizations as it reduces immigration targets, leading to program cuts at both the Saskatoon and Regina Open Door societies. Reducing immigrant and international student populations can't be done hastily, Abukar said. "A lot of the international students have been contributing a lot of money not only to schools and educational institutions, but also businesses and housing," he said. He said immigrants will still be needed to help Canada resolve issues like the labour that's needed to build houses. It speaks to the pressing need for the next elected government to take a phased approach to integrating newcomers into Canada, Abukar said. "Our [immigration] numbers didn't become where they are at in just the switch of a light. And we can't reverse them the same way," he said.
