Analytical commentary from the editorial board of "Our Ottawa"
The 2025 federal election in Canada was an unexpected triumph for the Liberal Party and a personal victory for Mark Carney. However, no less noteworthy is the defeat of the Conservatives and their leader Pierre Poilievre, who, according to forecasts, will not even hold his own district.
Why did the party, which had been leading in the polls for a long time, eventually give in?
1. An outdated agenda.
Carney managed to seize the initiative by highlighting the fight for Canada's sovereignty against the backdrop of Donald Trump's aggression. While the country was alarmed by threats from Washington, the Conservatives continued to fight with the already resigned Trudeau and carbon taxes, the consumer part of which was cancelled. The voter did not see this as an answer to current challenges.
2. A weak economic strategy.
Promises of economic growth only by abolishing the carbon tax looked naive, especially in the context of the tariff war with the United States. Plans to compensate for the budget deficit with revenues from duties on US goods were calculated on the previous volume of trade, which will clearly decrease due to Trump's tariff policy. The Conservative program turned out to be unprepared for the new reality.
3. Lack of leadership qualities.
Poilievre was able to overthrow Trudeau, but he was unable to convince voters that he was ready to take the reins of power himself. His image of a "regular guy" turned out to be unconvincing against the background of Carney, an experienced financier, former head of the Bank of Canada and negotiator in the international arena.
Paradoxically, it was Poilievre's accurate and merciless criticism of Trudeau that forced the Liberals to change their leader - and thereby strengthened their position. Pierre would have won against Trudeau without difficulty, with a crushing score. As a result, Canadians elected a figure they believe can steer the country well through difficult times. That is perhaps the most important lesson of this election.