EDITORIAL: Trump hands Liberals an election lifeline

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In an odd, ironic twist, President-elect Donald Trump may have handed the Liberal Party a path, if not to victory, then to a much better election outcome than the one they were otherwise expecting.

As Postmedia columnist Warren Kinsella pointed out in a recent column, the election landscape has shifted, and Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre must massage his message to address that change.

“It is always a danger to be fighting the last war,” Kinsella points out.

At a recent news conference, Poilievre appeared at the podium with an “Axe the tax” message emblazoned on it.

Kinsella, who knows a thing or two about running elections, points out the discussion changed the minute Trump pledged to make Canada part of the U.S. with the use of “economic force.”

The 25% tariffs Trump is threatening to impose would cause a massive economic upheaval and unemployment in this country.

The Liberals appear to have jumped on this unexpected gift from Trump. Several potential leadership candidates – Dominic LeBlanc and Melanie Joly for two – have declined the opportunity to run, saying they’re focused on fighting Trump’s tariffs.

They’re sending a message that they’re putting country before personal ambition. In truth, the job of Liberal leader will have few benefits. Whoever leads the party will sit in Opposition for four years, if they’re lucky enough to keep their seat. Far from their professed noble pretensions, they’re keeping their powder dry for the next leadership campaign.

Poilievre would be smart to position himself as the politician best able to stand up to Trump. He must demonstrate his strength as a statesman and show he has the wherewithal to withstand the intense pressure Trump is putting on this country.

And, sure, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s carbon tax is costly, ill-conceived and damaging to consumers. It must go. But Trump’s tariffs are a far bigger threat.

Perhaps unwittingly, Trump has unified us – Liberals, Conservatives, NDP – behind one overarching notion: that we’re Canadian, and this country is not for sale.

As Kinsella put it: “Before he even assumes the office of president, Trump has effectively declared war on Canada and much of the world. America, whether Tories accept it or not, no longer considers us an ally.”

The political winds have changed. Poilievre must adjust his sails.