With federal election polling showing a tighter race, the outcome of the Liberal leadership race just got a lot more interesting.
Driving the news: As Canada prepares for the likely scenario of a federal election in the spring, the vote to determine who will challenge Pierre Poilievre — the Conservative party leader and the still-frontrunner by many measures — will be determined by Sunday evening.
- A unique feature of Canadian leadership races is that voters rank candidates rather than picking one, a step meant to determine who has the most collective support.
Why it matters: The winner of the leadership vote stands a likely chance against Poilievre. According to a recent survey by Ipsos, the Liberal party has a two-point lead among decided voters, when about seven weeks ago it was trailing by 26 points.
- Over the last two months, voters have been leaning more towards the Liberal party in terms of dealing with the Trump administration, according to Abacus Data.
- While those surveyed say the Conservatives are still the best party to handle issues like inflation, immigration, crime, and job security, they side with the Liberals on handling Trump.
What’s next: About 400,000 Canadians are registered to vote between former Bank of Canada governor and frontrunner Mark Carney, former deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland, former cabinet minister Karina Gould, and former Liberal MP Frank Baylis.—LA
