Be it resolved that Pierre Poilievre needs help.
When a majority of the respondents with an opinion, even in truest-bluest Alberta, , this while Poilievreâs still supposedly basking in his political honeymoon period, the alleged prime-minister-in-waiting clearly needs to embrace some New Yearâs resolutions for a rise in public approval.
It should be noted that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had an even higher level of unpopularity in the same poll.
So, while insiders bet Poilievre is more likely to double down on controversial positions and policies than moderate them for the mainstream, here are seven New Year's resolutions for a more popular political personality to woo the voters he needs to win.
A COHERENT PUBLIC HEALTH, CARBON TAX POSITION
With cases the new Omicron variant being identified inCanada, Poilievre should support voluntary masking and advocate for booster vaccinations without resurrecting the boogeyman that itâs all lurching toward government-enforced mandates.
And Poilievre canât simply champion the end of the carbon tax while green-lighting pipelines in every direction without a credible climate change counterbalance.
So far, heâs just belching hot air. If his ultimate goal is to become prime minister, Poilievre needs to divide his âofficial oppositionâ role into less opposing and more positioning.
BACKTRACK QUICKLY ON NON-STARTER CAMPAIGN PROMISES
Yes, this means admitting he wonât actually fire the governor of the Bank of Canada.
Because, after all, he canât be dumped without oodles of justification which is, so far, missing. Poilievre might also reconsider his opposition to replacement drugs in safe injection sites as âwoke Liberalâ policy.
Even former Conservative senator and police chief Vernon White is writing off Poilievreâs jabs as uneducated ramblings.
CUT THE CONVOY CONNECTION
When Emergencies Act inquiry Commissioner Paul Rouleau rolls out his report next month, Poilievre shouldnât gloat if Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is found to have over-reached in invoking the Act and he shouldnât trash talk the conclusion if itâs determined to have been justified. Accept the report as a reasonable wrap-up to a dark national experience and move on.
BE MORE OPEN WITH THE PRESS
This appears self-serving, but Poilievre should resolve to be more open with the parliamentary press gallery.
You donât have to like or be chummy with the reporting mob, but accessibility is the hard part of being accountable. And even opposition leaders must be held microphone-accountable to be credible.
LISTEN MORE, TALK LESS
Poilievre should exercise his ears more and his tongue less.That means going beyond sycophantic MPs and bended-knee staffing for ideas and advice. Retired alumni like former interim leader Rona Ambrose, former deputy leader Lisa Raitt and true-blue but soft-hearted retired MP Larry Miller have the pulse of the regular-right and possess the political instincts to sell conservative policies to the mainstream. Listen and learn.
BE LESS MEAN-SPIRITED
Former leader Erin OâToole wrote a thoughtful essay attacking those profane anti-Trudeau flags as a nasty reflection of democracy-destroying polarization.
Poilievre shrugged it off as understandable frustration with the government. OâToole was right. The last thing Canada needs is a leader whose mindset appears determined to widen the political divide. And ditch the âCanada is brokenâ line. The country is fine. Itâs the government you aim to blame for breaking things.
SMILE MORE
Finally, smiling a bit more often wouldnât hurt. That vintage Stephen Harper scowl only won elections because voters sensed gravitas in a Conservative leader they didnât particularly like, but trusted just enough to earn their ballot. Thatâs not a belief widely shared about the official opposition leader right now. A friendly Poilievre personality upgrade might help him claim a better poll position for the next election.
Thatâs the bottom lineâŚ.