Lessons from the Canadian election
The result of the Canadian federal election has not yet been confirmed, but it is clear that the Liberal Party has comfortably won the most seats. The likely outcome is a Liberal minority government (projections put the Liberals on 168, four seats short of a majority) but that represents a remarkable turnaround for an incumbent party that trailed in the polls by 27 points in early January. Credibility matters. Ultimately Mark Carney was seen as a more credible Prime Minister than Pierre Poilievre. Despite the differences in the respective levels of political experience, in a short time Carney has been able to demonstrate decisive, strong leadership and has an impressive career outside of politics. The Conservatives had wanted to make the election a referendum on Justin Trudeau and his record in government, but were thwarted by Trudeau's resignation and by the defining issue moving from perceived Liberal failures to the relationship with the US. In this area, Carney was able to buil...
