Opinion: The good and unnecessarily bad of Pierre Poilievre - The Globe and Mail

Pierre Poilievre's Election Performance: A Mixed Bag

The article analyzes the outcome of the recent election for Pierre Poilievre, leader of the Conservative Party of Canada. Despite achieving the highest Conservative vote in decades and maintaining his leadership position, he ultimately lost his seat and the election. The author attributes this to both Poilievre's successes and his significant shortcomings.

Poilievre's Strengths

• He successfully mobilized significant support from younger and middle-aged men who desired change.
• His campaign generated impressive voter turnout for the Conservative party.

His focus on reducing municipal red tape to encourage homebuilding resonated with many.

Poilievre's Weaknesses

• He alienated potential supporters with unnecessary antagonisms, including attacks on mayors, business leaders and even fellow conservatives such as Doug Ford and Tim Houston.
• His aggressive and hyper-adversarial political style was seen as unnerving or even frightening by many.
• His campaign lacked broader appeal, failing to attract support beyond a core group of supporters.

The author concludes that while Poilievre's strategy of mobilizing a strong, dedicated base was partially successful, his failure to reach out to a broader range of voters ultimately cost him the election. The author suggests that his antagonistic style, while effective in energizing his supporters, proved detrimental in winning over the wider electorate.