HALIFAX—It is time the Conservative Party of Canada brushed up on its Otto von Bismarck. 

It was the former German chancellor who defined politics as the art of the possible. What the facts suggest is that it is not possible for the Conservatives to win the government under the leadership of Pierre Poilievre. Not against Liberal Leader Mark Carney.

It is not just that Poilievre has a record of losing, which includes the most recent federal election and his own Ontario seat.  

It is not just that Carney leads Poilievre by an embarrassing margin in the polls as Canadians’ preferred choice as prime minister. How bad is it for Poilievre? Some surveys have found Carney to be over 25 points ahead of his hapless Conservative rival. 

It is not just that yet another Conservative Ontario MP, Marilyn Gladu, has recently bolted to the Liberals, further reducing the shrinking Tory caucus.  

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