TORIES CAN’T WIN WITH ITS EXTREME RIGHT LEADERSHIP

Several MPs in the Conservative caucus wear shades of Red. These Red Tories—moderate and mildly Left-leaning—often clash with their boss, Pierre Poilievre, whose brand of conservatism is dyed deep blue. That tension recently boiled over when Nova Scotia MP Chris d’Entremont crossed the floor to join the Liberals, hinting that others might soon follow his footsteps—or rather, his floor tiles.

Poilievre stands as a true-blue Tory, hard-edged and unapologetically Right. But that brand of politics fits better in Texas than in Toronto. Canada’s political climate has a liberal chill that resists the heat of hard-right ideology.

With a leadership review set for January, the party faces a crucial choice: stay frozen in its extreme-Right stance or thaw toward the centre. The Conservatives need a little more Red in their blue mix—or risk watching Liberals paint the map red yet again, for a fourth straight win.

-Promod Puri