3 Reasons Conservatives Lost the Canadian Elections...and No, Trump Is Not One of Them

Don't be absurd

The Canadian elections were held last night and conservatism lost. Americans have been watching the election cycle of our neighbors to the North with mild curiosity over the past few months. Trudeau’s resignation seemed to signal a shift in the Canadian political mood similar to what happened here last November.

Alas, ‘twas not to be. Conservative superstar Pierre Poilievre could not pull out the Parliamentary majority or the local seat win needed for his party to propel him to Prime Minister. Canada will stay on their current trajectory of decline.

Naturally, all kinds of people are blaming Donald Trump for the conservative loss. Just a few months ago, Poilievre was leading in the polls.

Then came the Tariff Wars.

While it is easy to blame Donald Trump and his constant trolling leading up to their elections, the truth is a lot more boring.

Here are three reasons Pierre Poilievre lost the Canadian election.

Poilievre couldn’t command the Canadian identity.

Ask any Canadian what it means to be a Canadian. It’s like asking a Democrat to tell you who the current leader of the Democrat party is. There is no answer because there isn’t one.

When I was growing up in Canada, we prided ourselves on being a “mosaic” of culture. Immigrants from all over the world came there to join the rich tapestry of the Canadian landscape (the most southern portions of it, anyway). We were so proud of that moniker, we learned it in school. It was always presented to us as a response to America’s claim they were the “melting pot” of the world. America destroyed culture and melted it down into a boring soup. Canada wove culture together in a giant, diverse, tolerant quilt.

Therein lies the real problem of this election. Canada’s main identity is being Not America. Their “mosaic” has created a confused mess of competing identities. Canadian pride is only allowed to exist in hockey tournaments. The only unifying thing left to coalesce around is hating America.

Given the current degraded condition of the Great White North, it doesn’t seem to be a particularly lucrative plan to base your entire system of government on proving you’re cool too. Even the cheapest of online lifestyle influencers can tell you comparing yourself to others is the quickest route to a loser life.

To put it in more cliché terms, comparison is the death of joy.

Canada is joyless, and that’s how they vote. Their entire identity is rooted in comparing their country to ours. Donald Trump did not do that to them. It is an identity crisis that has been brewing for 100 years or longer.

Pierre Poilievre and the Conservative Party lost because Canadians only know how to be Not American. That’s on them, not Trump or anyone else.

Polievere got it wrong in the final days.

Americans cannot truly fathom how furious Canadians are with Trump and our nation over the tariff wars and the trolling. My own Canadian mother has cut herself off from our family over it. I wish I were joking. Again, the Canadian identity is Not America, and when you attack an identity, you are waging a very personal war.

Poilievre, who had previously exhibited a masterful discipline and appropriate scorn when dealing with the press, suddenly pivoted. He began capitulating to the language of the Liberals on tariffs, shouting about Trump and demanding he stay out of Canadian politics and back off with his threats.

I can imagine his polling was pushing him towards that tact, but it was a loser. Poilievre’s success had come from positioning himself as the polar opposite of Mark Carney and the Liberal Party. Instead of holding the line on his positions and using the opportunity to explain economic progress and negotiations, he just ended up sounding like the people he was running against. It was an understandable decision, but it ended up alienating his base. They wanted to see him attacking the decisions of the progressive left that led Canada to this point, not sounding like Mark Carney-lite.

It was a miscalculation and he paid for it.

America First.

Naturally, it is easy to blame this on Trump. He’s the world’s favorite punching bag, for one thing. His tariff and 51st state talk turned off Canadians, for another.

But this election is not Trump’s fault, and it’s ridiculous to even say so. Donald Trump is the President of the United States. He isn’t campaign staff. He’s not a cheerleader. He doesn’t whip Canadian votes. He is the leader of the free world. Only Canadians are responsible for Canadian votes.

Poilievre and his team lost because, in the end, they allowed the election to be about the leader of another country instead of their own.

And yes, it may be true that Trump’s trash talk shifted the mood of the Canadian electorate significantly, but that only speaks further to the absurdity of Canadian politics. If the American President can win or lose a Canadian election, perhaps they really should be our 51st state. Most of their trade is with us; their economy depends on us; their national defense depends on us; and even our own elected leader has the power to control the moods and minds of their voters.

I’ve never wanted Canada to be a part of this union (and still don’t), but Trump has a point.

It wasn’t all bad news for Canada. Conservative and right-of-center candidates swept out Liberal representatives in many key areas across the nation. It was enough to give the opposition parties the largest opposition coalition in Canadian history. All is not yet lost in the halls of their government.

Some of the conservative Professional Contrarian Class have been caterwauling this morning about how Trump’s arrogance cost the Canadians an election.

I reject this absurd reasoning outright. I don’t doubt he influenced voters, but that is their own pathetic fault, not his, or ours. Canadians can only vote for Canadian elections. Not even Donald Trump can do that. It was their election for their nation with their candidates. Canadians will not make a positive turn for their country until they can form an identity that is more than just Not America.

Until then, it looks like that 51st offer will remain on the table.

Thank you for reading and for being a curious citizen. We need more people like you! This post is free, but there’s a lot more going on behind the paywall. Please consider becoming a paid member to support independent media and also to just be one of the cool kids.

*My work is completely supported by generous readers and listeners like you. If you’d like to help keep my voice free and independent, please consider a paid subscription or giving a gift subscription.

*Or share this post with friends.

*Or subscribe to my podcast wherever you find your audio podcasts or YouTube