Can Mark Carney defeat Canadian populism?

Aaron Wherry · CBC News

· Posted: May 31, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: May 31

Speaking to reporters aft the code from the throne connected Tuesday, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre struck a decidedly institutionalist tone.

"We joined contiguous successful thanking His Majesty for coming to Canada and delivering the throne speech, reinforcing our ancient, large British liberties," helium said. "A parliamentary strategy that goes backmost 800 years. A strategy that has served Canada good and has been the instauration of what I emotion to telephone the Canadian promise."

A Conservative praising the monarch mightiness not look unusual. Former overseas affairs curate John Baird, a adjacent state of Poilievre's, erstwhile demanded that his section bent a representation of the Queen successful the foyer of its headquarters. 

But enactment for the monarchy among Conservative voters seems to person slipped successful caller years. Pollara precocious recovered Conservatives are evenly divided connected Canada remaining a law monarchy and the Angus Reid Institute says the stock of Conservatives supporting the monarchy has fallen from 53 per cent successful 2016 to 30 per cent now.

More than that, Poilievre has enthusiastically embraced the modern benignant of populism. He has thrived connected conflict and for the past 3 years has held himself retired arsenic a person acceptable to bash conflict with the strategy — aligning himself with the self-styled "freedom convoy," vowing to occurrence the politician of the Bank of Canada and bash conflict with "elites," "gatekeepers" "liberal media" and "woke ideology" connected behalf of the "common people." 

WATCH | Poilievre connected the throne speech: 

Given the willingness of Poilievre and different Conservatives to situation the Speaker and propulsion the limits of acceptable behaviour successful the House of Commons, it's besides absorbing to spot Poilievre praising the parliamentary system.

But is it imaginable that the sojourn of King Charles — in summation to asserting Canada's sovereignty and reminding Canadians of the unsocial past and enduring institutions that underpin this country's ideology — also marked the extremity of Canada's little populist moment?

It is, of course, acold excessively aboriginal to gully immoderate specified decision — not slightest due to the fact that Poilievre's Conservatives are inactive conscionable a period removed from winning 41 per cent of the fashionable vote.

One mode oregon another, the eventual destiny of the populist entreaty successful Canada whitethorn truly beryllium connected what His Majesty's authorities does next.

Can Carney amusement the strategy works?

Mark Carney mightiness look similar precisely the incorrect benignant of quality to conflict populism. When helium was archetypal rumoured arsenic a imaginable successor to Justin Trudeau, it was casual to ideate that Poilievre would person a comparatively casual clip moving an anti-elite run against a erstwhile Goldman Sachs banker.

The instrumentality of Donald Trump and his threats against Canada evidently changed the electoral calculus for astatine slightest a plurality of voters. But earlier the Trump question came to predominate his campaign, Carney seemed to recognize that helium was facing an electorate that was disenchanted with the mode things worked — or rather, didn't work.

"The system, it's not moving arsenic it should and it's not moving arsenic it could," Carney said successful Edmonton erstwhile helium declared his candidacy for enactment of the Liberal Party. "People are anxious. And nary wonder. Too galore are falling behind. Too galore young radical can't spend a home. Too galore radical can't find a doctor." 

Carney noted that technological change, clime alteration and present Trump were adding to the consciousness of uncertainty. But helium besides drew a enactment betwixt himself and Poilievre's contention that Canada was "broken" — comparing Poilievre to the United Kingdom's Conservatives.

"Conservatives don't tally astir saying Canada is breached due to the fact that they privation to hole it," Carney said. "They privation a licence to demolish and destroy, including galore of the things connected which we each depend. Because populists don't recognize however our system and our nine really works." 

WATCH | Tariff uncertainty continues: 

One mode Carney could marque the lawsuit against demolition and demolition is by demonstrating that the strategy tin enactment better. And the astir tangible mode to bash that mightiness beryllium to code the concerns of those young radical who can't spend a home.

In this spring's election, Carney's Liberals efficaciously battled Poilievre's Conservatives to a gully connected housing, astatine slightest limiting the vantage that the Conservatives could person had connected the issue. And Liberal re-election hopes whitethorn hinge connected their quality to amusement existent advancement toward solving the lodging situation — a situation that Carney has promised to conscionable with velocity and force.

But adjacent if the Carney authorities is capable to marque bully connected his committedness to rapidly summation operation and trim the outgo of housing, would successfully addressing that contented — and others similar it — be capable to crook backmost the populist question that seemed, until a fewer months ago, to beryllium washing implicit Canadian politics?

Will Trump discredit populism?

As populist parties and politicians person made advances globally — successful places similar the United States and the United Kingdom — there has been statement astir whether their supporters are driven by economical frustrations oregon taste issues. The reply mightiness yet beryllium to beryllium immoderate operation of the two. But astatine the precise least, addressing issues similar lodging mightiness weaken the underlying entreaty oregon logic of populism.

Beyond housing, it mightiness assistance the anti-populist origin if Carney tin find ways to reenforce spot successful authorities oregon demonstrably enactment crossed enactment lines (at slightest astatine the provincial level). Whether inspired by their reverence for the monarchy oregon not, Conservatives themselves could besides determine to determination distant from immoderate of its populist elements.

But could Donald Trump really present beryllium to beryllium the top unit moving against populism successful Canada?

Trump's unavoidable presence and glaring illustration could conceivably person 2 impacts connected Canadian politics. 

First, it mightiness discredit — or harden absorption against — the populist benignant of authorities successful the eyes of galore Canadians. At the precise least, we person already seen Poilievre forced to grapple with accusations that helium is excessively overmuch similar Trump — with non-Conservative voters mostly coalescing down Carney and the Liberals.

Second, the nonstop menace Trump poses to Canada and the wider instability helium is causing whitethorn beryllium changing what Canadian voters want. After past month's predetermination result, David Coletto of Abacus Data argued that the predominant temper successful Canada had shifted from choler to seeking stableness — and speculated that the "age of rage" whitethorn person fixed mode to the "age of reassurance." 

But immoderate the Trump effect turns retired to be, a batch whitethorn inactive beryllium connected however good non-populist governments and leaders marque the lawsuit against populism. Trump whitethorn person reset Canadian politics, but if reassurance doesn't come, rage whitethorn beryllium harder to clasp back.