As Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his resignation in the face of increasing criticism from inside the government and tariff threats from the incoming Trump administration, the conservative movement in the country may gather considerable traction in the upcoming election year.
Conservative strategist Matt Shupe of the United States has been spearheading initiatives in Calgary, Alberta, teaching activists, consultants, and volunteers how to construct successful campaigns in preparation for the post-Trudeau period.
“Based on my personal experience in Canada, I would say it’s like California amplified,” said HeadlinesForever Digital the 39-year-old Shupe, who had previously served as a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles mayoral campaign of ex-MLB player Steve Garvey.
The founder of Praetorian Services and political consultant who started working with clients a decade ago, Shupe, compared Trudeau’s departure to that of President Biden in 2024.
For Canada’s liberal wing, “they took a page out of the DNC playbook with what they did with Biden,” Shupe remarked. “If American politics serves as any sort of analog, that didn’t work for Kamala.”
Progressive measures have brought even many liberals closer to the center, according to Shupe’s interviews with Canadians. In order to improve the chances of conservatives in Canada, leaders want to use information and lessons learned from the 2016 U.S. election, according to Shupe, who is a representative of the Leadership Institute, a conservative mentoring and training group.
“The [conservative] movement has primarily attracted young people because they don’t have the prospects,” according to him. Their income is severely taxed, the cost of living is disproportionately high, and property ownership is prohibitively expensive. People my age or younger—or even somewhat older—who I converse with there always seem to have the same gripes as those I meet in San Francisco.
In the meanwhile, conservative firebrand Pierre Poilievre of Canada is running for president and has promised to rein in immigration, inflation, and the deficit, drawing comparisons to Trump and other presidential candidates.
“I think you’re seeing that with the left in Canada and in the United States, is that they just took everything too far, and they hit a threshold with people that it’s just gone too far,” according to him.
This year’s general election saw Poilievre’s Conservative Party win 47% of the vote, compared to the Liberals’ 18%. He was first elected to the House of Commons in 2004. Since becoming party leader in 2022, the 45-year-old Calgary native has witnessed the Canadian Conservatives’ popularity soar as the country becomes weary of Trudeau’s (the Liberals’) 53 years in office.
The Conservatives are well-positioned to win the next Canadian election, which may happen as soon as this spring, thus the new Trump administration will most certainly deal with a Poilievre government shortly. A nationwide vote that now favors the Conservatives would be triggered if the opposition parties were to defeat the minority Liberal administration in a motion of no-confidence when the House of Commons begins session on March 24.
Trump has suggested a 25% tax on Canadian products; Poilievre said as much in his interview with Peterson. “Negotiates very aggressively, and he likes to win.” In his new role as prime minister, however, the Conservative leader has pledged to pursue “a great deal that will make both countries safer, richer and stronger.”
After over a decade in office, Trudeau has seen his approval ratings fall in recent months as Canadians become increasingly frustrated with the government’s response to the escalating cost of living and inflation.
“I intend to resign as party leader, as prime minister, after the party selects its next leader through a robust nationwide competitive process,” Trudeau stated to reporters. Just last night, I requested that the Liberal Party’s president initiate that procedure. In the next election, our country deserves a genuine choice, and I’ve realized that I can’t be the greatest choice if I’m occupied with personal conflicts.
I am not the kind to back down from a confrontation; that much is obvious to everyone here. The stakes are higher than usual, especially in this particular battle. But my love for Canada, my desire to serve Canadians, and what is best for Canadians have always been my driving forces, and I believe that Canadians should have a true option in the next election, Trudeau concluded. “And it has become obvious to me with the internal battles that I cannot be the one to carry the liberal standard into the next election.”