At one point during the campaign, 56 per cent of Canadians told us the most important ballot question was 'Which party is best able to deal with Donald Trump's threats to Canada?'
That number has since shifted slightly, with a growing share now returning to the 'time for a change' frame. But even among those voters, one in four say they're supporting the Liberals — an indication that Carney has done enough to distance himself from the Trudeau years and offer a 'new Liberal' option that satisfies a chunk of the change-seeking electorate.
Mark Carney emerged at a moment where I think more and more Canadians were looking for somebody with his experience, with his demeanor, with his approach to politics. That was very much of the moment.
He bashed the government over inflation, rising interest rates and high housing costs, tapping into fatigue with Trudeau to build a seemingly unbeatable lead. 'Canada,' he said, 'is broken.'
In a campaign where there are differences on topics such as climate change and crime, there are few divergences among the top contenders on some broad points in how to respond, at least on this key front.
Carney and Poilievre back targeted retaliatory tariffs, reducing interprovincial trade barriers and taking steps to build Canada's economic resiliency so it can reduce its reliance on the U.S. — all of which will not be easy and involve difficult choices and trade-offs.
Americans might find this as a possible prescription to their future, if they don't want to continue down the path they're going.
How do we deal with this existential threat coming from Donald Trump?
Underneath that question are some of the issues about, do we want to go down this populist path? I think Canadians are pausing and looking and saying, 'No, maybe that's not where we want to take our country,'
