Parliament is back with a substantive legislative agenda that reminds us: Democracy is nothing without accountability.
asserted
Democracy → remind → accountability
For shame, then, that His Majesty’s Loyal Opposition is distracted by internal schisms and online echo chambers.
asserted
Opposition → distract → schisms
This fall, Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives must gain a foothold.
asserted
Conservatives → gain → foothold
The party’s own MPs know it.
asserted
MPs → know → it
Conservative deputy leader Melissa Lantsman told reporters, “This is not the position we want to be in.”
asserted
we → tell → reporters
Since Prime Minister Mark Carney walked away from “a bad deal” with the U.S. in August, his popularity has reached new heights.
asserted
popularity → walk → heights
What’s going unsaid is that this makes the Opposition’s role in Parliament even more important.
asserted
role → go → Parliament
Poilievre’s Conservatives owe it to their voters, and Canadians writ large, to unite as a principled counterweight to Carney’s power.
asserted
Conservatives → owe → power
They owe it to themselves, too.
asserted
They → owe → themselves
Recall that Paul Martin was once cruising to a “supermajority.”
asserted
Martin → recall → supermajority
Fortunately, the Conservatives weren’t asleep at the wheel when the Sponsorship Scandal hit.
asserted
Scandal → hit → wheel
First and foremost, Poilievre must boost caucus morale and lay to rest internal spats.
asserted
Poilievre → boost → spats
So long as there are rumblings and rumoured floor crossings, he won’t make headlines about anything else.
asserted
he → be → anything
So, he must do what embattled leaders before him have done.
asserted
leaders → do → him
And if the rumblings continue, Poilievre will have to make the hard choice to remove caucus members who aren’t team players.
asserted
who → continue → members
Otherwise, who’s really leading the party?
asserted
who → lead → party
Second, the Conservatives must put down their phones and look at the polls.
asserted
Conservatives → put → polls
Poilievre’s online activity suggests he still thinks X is a modern-day town square.
uncertain
X → suggest → ?
It is a place where influencers are rewarded for divisive commentary.
asserted
influencers → reward → commentary
Anyone who uses it as a barometer for public opinion does so at their peril.
asserted
who → use → peril
Case in point: polling shows eight in 10 Canadians back the idea of closer relations with the European Union.
asserted
Canadians → show → Union
Yet no sooner could young Canadians picture themselves studying abroad in Paris than they saw Poilievre come out swinging against European bureaucracy and taxes.
uncertain
Poilievre → picture → bureaucracy
He declared Canada will “never be the 28th state,” as though that was a concern around the water cooler.
asserted
that → declare → cooler
What’s peculiar about this type of knee-jerk reaction is that the Conservatives know all too well how much time they have.
asserted
they → ’ → time
Carney has a majority government that may well grow larger in the months ahead.
uncertain
that → have → months
The Conservatives can take a breath and speak when there is something worth saying.
asserted
Conservatives → take → breath
Third, the Conservatives must capitalize on the government’s forceful overhaul of environmental and labour rules — by giving the New Democrats ample room to voice opposition.
asserted
Conservatives → capitalize → opposition
To be clear, the Conservatives should maintain their pro-worker position and protect that ground.
asserted
Conservatives → maintain → ground
But the NDP could chip away at Carney’s left-leaning supporters who are concerned about the right to strike and environmental protections, and the Conservatives gain by letting them.
uncertain
Conservatives → chip → them
People who can intelligently contribute to the public dialogue.
asserted
who → contribute → dialogue
People who reflect Canada’s diversity.
asserted
who → reflect → diversity
When the government introduces the fall budget, finance critic Michael Chong should lead the reaction.
asserted
Chong → introduce → reaction
He can help the party reconnect with those centre-right voters who have taken a shine to Carney but are keeping a close eye on the Liberals’ spending habits.
asserted
who → help → habits
The Conservatives are facing off against a historically popular prime minister, who voters trust to defend the country against U.S. threats.
asserted
voters → face → threats
So, Poilievre and his team need to be careful in their criticism.
asserted
Poilievre → need → criticism
Once the media don’t have floor-crossing rumours to cover anymore, this could get more uptake.
uncertain
this → have → uptake
The Conservatives should also look for openings to propose.
asserted
Conservatives → look → openings
Other issues will emerge, like public concern around artificial intelligence.
asserted
issues → emerge → intelligence
In the words of John Diefenbaker, who spent years in opposition before forming government: “Freedom always dies when criticism ends.”
asserted
criticism → spend → government
The Conservatives must position themselves as the government-in-waiting — whether that wait is long or short.
asserted
wait → position → waiting
The Aporia
