Canadians ponder which leader can ease their fears

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This article was published 28/03/2025 (202 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

This federal election is being described as the most consequential in modern Canadian history. The country is in a tariff and trade war with its closest ally, the United States, and President Donald Trump is threatening Canada’s sovereignty.

No wonder Canadians are feeling anxious and fearful. And in times of crisis, people tend to look extra hard for leaders they can trust.

Liberal Leader Mark Carney, a rookie in politics but an internationally respected economist, is enjoying a wave of momentum. Due to his stints as governor of the Bank of Canada during the 2008-09 financial crash and the Bank of England during Brexit, he’s well qualified to manage economic roller-coasters. Can his impressive CV help calm the fears of Canadians?

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, on the other hand, has been connecting with supporters by giving voice to their worries about the economy, jobs, crime and the housing crisis. He has made people feel heard, but he has also been accused of building his brand appeal by stoking — rather than soothing — Canadians’ fears about the future.

Carney’s track record as a fixer could give him the edge now that the election campaign is in full swing and Canada’s fears are being amplified.

Liberals wildly unpopular

Before Justin Trudeau announced his plans to leave politics, the next federal election was shaping up to be a showdown between Trudeau and Poilievre, two career politicians with likability problems and a palpable mutual resentment.

Each of them often used fear as a tool to warn Canadians about the dangers of electing the other. The mood in the country was sour.

In July 2024, an Abacus Data poll indicated only 23 per cent of Canadians believed the country was headed in the right direction. The affordability crisis was weighing on people, as 45 per cent of respondents reported having a hard time keeping up with daily expenses due to rising prices.

The long-standing consensus around the benefits of immigration was crumbling due to the lack of suitable housing for everyone.

A third of Canadians also self-identified as “political orphans” who believed that none of the political parties truly represented them.

Most of the public was blaming the Liberals for the broad mismanagement of various important complex policy files, and the Conservatives were the largest beneficiaries of voter frustration. They looked like they had the next election in the bag.

A dramatically altered landscape

It’s now March 2025, and the political playing field looks wildly different. Though the aforementioned issues remain salient, Trudeau has resigned and Carney has erased the lead in public support that Poilievre and the Conservatives held not long ago.

Most polls suggest the parties are in a dead heat, while others have Carney pulling ahead. In the hope of winning enough votes to form a majority government — in Carney’s own words, he has asked the public for a “strong, positive mandate” — he is running on a platform aimed at the political centre to offer a home to those political orphans.

Carney’s pitching tax cuts, pipeline projects, reduced trade barriers between the provinces and balanced operational spending while running deficits for investments that would grow the economy. He has done away with the unpopular consumer carbon tax.

Given that Carney is pulling the Liberals back to the centre, and that there is actually overlap between the Conservatives and the Liberals — both spent the first full day of the campaign promising income tax cuts — it seems the real choice in this election is about leadership rather than dramatically different policy platforms.

It’s no surprise that Carney’s unique professional experience elevates his bid to be prime minister in the current political climate. So far, he has been a calm presence amid a volatile and developing storm. Despite Conservative efforts to try to diminish him, his credentials speak for themselves.

This helps him to build trust among voters. At any other time, his snippiness with the media when asked about his financial holdings might cost him some political capital, but in the current moment, he will likely be given a pass.

Poilievre no longer has Trudeau for a target

As British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan once explained, politics is about “events, dear boy, events.”

Much to the certain chagrin of Conservatives, the polls suggest this moment was custom-made for Carney.

Trump’s attacks and threats against Canadian sovereignty tee up Carney’s pitches for Canada’s economic independence perfectly. His campaign material basically writes itself, and his economic gravitas makes him a solid messenger.

Carney is both reassuring Canadians in this moment of anxiety as well as tapping into Canadian pride, in his own words and through celebrity proxies like comedian Mike Myers who are helping him reach audiences who tuned out Trudeau a long time ago.

This is not to count out Poilievre. With the Conservative base firmly behind him, he could be poised to form a government or keep Carney to a minority.

But the question on the ballot is no longer about Trudeau — it’s about who Canadians trust to lead them through a disruptive and unpredictable time.

Poilievre has been working tirelessly for years to position himself as the person for the job.

But the peculiar circumstances of the moment — and the fear and anxiety that Canadians are having trouble shaking amid Trump’s continuing threats — might drive many voters toward the non-politician whose track record as a fixer gives people the reassurance they are looking for.

» Lori Turnbull is a professor of political science in the Faculty of Management at Dalhousie University.

» This column was originally published at The Conversation Canada: theconversation.com/ca