Boomers for bankers, millennials for mavericks: Why the generational divide is bad for Pierre Poilievre
Imagine going back in time – just 10 years, even – and telling the Conservative Party in Canada that in the 2025 election, they’d be clamouring to win back the support of older Canadians: that in the final week, they’d hastily produce an ad featuring two white, grey-haired men at a driving range talking about how their kids “can’t seem to get ahead,” so they’re voting Conservative, “for a change.” What happened to the order of things? Do cats chase dogs now? Are birds flying north for the winter? Is the NDP promising balanced budgets? (Well, actually, former NDP leader Tom Mulcair did promise that in 2015, but his party made quick work of him.)
If the Conservatives lose this election, which would have been unfathomable just 10 weeks ago, it will be in large part because grey-haired boomers at driving ranges decided to back Liberal Leader Mark Carney. Indeed, over the past six weeks, clear divisions have emerged along geographic, gender and generational lines: Mr. Carney has Eastern Canadians, while Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has Westerners. Mr. Carney has women; Mr. Poilievre has men. And Mr. Carney has largely captured the boomer vote, while Mr. Poilievre has garnered the........
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