LETTER TO THE EDITOR: How the Conservatives lost the election

The 2025 federal election will be known as historic. The results are in, and we will have to be satisfied with a minority government. Some people will be angry, disappointed or live in denial; others will be happy, relieved, hopeful and optimistic. Others will sing “que sera sera, whatever will be will be,” not putting any strain on their personal life

Some politicians become experts in creating culture wars that have very little to do with governance. Only sober rational thinking can help us to navigate this life without being torn back and forth. Taking a break from social media, from all kinds of gossip groups, including religious gossip, would likely help to build a stable society. Our personal well-being is more important than participating in idle gossip.

It is interesting to observe the political situation. Less than a half a year ago the polls showed the Conservatives 25 points ahead of Liberals and people were jubilant and predicted a Conservative sweep across the nation. What really happened? A fourth term for the Liberal government. How quickly can things change when urgency demands it. The threat from the south did wake Canadians up to realize we need a steady hand in leadership to bring us through the crisis. The Conservatives must have squandered political capitol along the way. Despite the party having increased its share of the vote they still lost the election. When can we expect the backstabbing to start? The extreme right wingers must find a way to release that stocked up anger. Here are a few thoughts on what could have contributed to the loss of the election.

1. Canadians did not want a mini-Trump as a leader for this nation. Some of the one liner slogans which were repeatedly used sounded too much like MAGA Trumpism. Some of the slogans were plain offensive and repulsive.

2. Donald Trump is a real threat to Canada’s independence and financial stability. Piere Poilievre did not seem to take it seriously enough and tried to distract from this dilemma. The right-wing culture war seemed to be more important. Canadians were looking for a stable strong leader that is not interested in the culture wars. Carny seems to represent that stability and experience to lead the nation. An attempted character smear campaign didn’t work this time.

3. A high portion of women turned away from the Conservative leader. Something did not sit right with them. Were they all wrong in their intuition? I would have a hard time believing that. The macho man might think that way. In my opinion women have a better emotional perception than their counterparts.

4. Pierre Poilievre’s popularity was under water. The party’s popularity was higher than the leader’s while for the Liberals it was the opposite. Everything plays a role.

5. The Conservatives lost their balance by moving too far to the right. The progressive wing lost the battle this time. The hardliners pushed too hard. The leader did not do himself a favour by throwing his support behind the truckers’ convoy when they occupied Ottawa. That is a shameful part of history, and the courts have proven that to be true by convicting the main leaders in that movement. Freedom belongs to all Canadians, including the residents in Ottawa. An apology to the nation could have been helpful to gain the confidence of the people in his own riding, which he lost. If this could help him to achieve a deeper level of humility than that could be considered a win. Getting rid of Erin O’Toole as a leader was probably a mistake.

6. Poilievre must find a softer spot in his heart to be able to connect with more normal people and stop pandering to the hardliners that love the idea of character assassination. Live and let live can be practiced in the political field.

7. Excluding mainstream media from traveling with the campaign was not helpful either. That displayed a bias without an open mind. Donald Trump is battling the media that he does not like. We don’t need to accept the democracy eroding elements for this country.