With their national convention safely behind them, Conservatives begin their second decade in opposition with at least one thing going for them: no more pesky questions about their leader’s internal support. Pierre Poilievre just won almost 90 per cent of the vote in his leadership review. That allows him not just to stay on, but — as he promised in his speech — to stay the course. 

Which is where the good news ends for the Conservative Party of Canada, and the same old paradox returns: Poilievre is both the party’s biggest asset and its greatest weakness. 

This dynamic has been in place since the moment Poilievre brought donuts to the Freedom Convoy. By hitching his train to the far-right’s culture war, he instantly won a huge base (more than 41 per cent of the national vote last April, far more than Stephen Harper or Justin Trudeau ever won) while alienating everyone outside it. That wasn’t a problem so long as the anti-Conservative vote was split. But the moment that vote unified, it became a fatal flaw. 

Far from addressing this crisis, the party’s resounding vote of confidence in Poilievre has exacerbated it.  

The thing is, that’s not just a problem for Conservatives. It’s a problem for Canadians. One-party rule is anathema to democracy; not even the most partisan Liberal supporter should want them to rule in perpetuity. We all need a viable alternative to temper the Liberals’ power and challenge their instincts, and to ensure that all Canadians feel represented over the long term. 

So where do we go from here?

One place to begin is to examine Poilievre’s appeal in good faith. That is, to go beyond the caricature of the anti-vaxx, Trump-loving Conservative that gets so much attention, and see what else Poilievre is offering.

That isn’t easy to do. I myself just spent a weekend cataloguing caricatures at the national convention; it was almost impossible not to, given how proudly the delegates I spoke with espoused their delusions and the prominent role influencers played there. I stand by those observations and I think they discredit the party’s governing aspirations — but I also think it’s crucial to acknowledge the other dynamics in play.

Chief among them is Poilievre’s dogged focus on Canada’s affordability crisis. For the last three years, Poilievre has spent virtually every moment that he’s not in parliament criss-crossing the country to meet with “everyday Canadians” — the working class and rural citizens who comprise the majority of Canada’s........

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