More than a decade ago, Justin Trudeau seized a demoralized, strife-torn, third-place Liberal Party and transformed it into his own image, winning election after election. There are few voices of criticism within the Liberal party because the voices that do matter are all important because of him.

However, according to the most recent surveys, the Liberals are on track for not only defeat, but destruction in the next federal election. Even the most ardent Trudeau supporters must be starting to ponder if it’s time for a change at the top.

The Conservatives established a significant lead over the Liberals last summer and have maintained it ever since. That lead may potentially be increasing. Abacus Data’s weekend survey for the Toronto Star shows the Tories leading the Grits by 19 percentage points in the popular vote, 43% to 24%, with the NDP at 18%.

The Liberals are in third position in both the Prairies and British Columbia. The Conservatives have more than 50% support in Atlantic Canada and lead the Liberals by 14 points in Ontario. But here is the genuinely astonishing number: According to Abacus, the two parties are statistically deadlocked in Quebec, a historically liberal bastion, with the Bloc Québécois at 34%, the Conservatives at 26%, and the Liberals at 25%.

(The online survey of 2,398 adults was conducted from February 1 to 7, with a margin of error of plus or minus two percentage points, 19 times out of 20.)

Provincial sample sizes are modest, with a wider margin of error than the national total. That’s why the Léger poll released last week is so significant. An online survey of 1,032 Quebec voters released earlier this month found the Bloc Québécois at 29%, the Liberals at 28%, and the Conservatives at 24%.

Two surveys show the Conservatives competing with the Liberals in Quebec. What does this mean?

It implies that if an election were conducted tomorrow, the Liberals would lose the majority of their 24 seats in Atlantic Canada and at least some of their 34 seats in Quebec.

The Conservatives would significantly reduce Liberal strongholds in suburban Ontario and British Columbia, while the NDP may win seats from them in the downtowns. The prairies would remain a liberal desert.

Some Liberals feel Mr. Trudeau is the ideal leader to save the furniture, as the saying goes, and that even if he loses the next election, the Prime Minister will protect the Liberal base for a successor to build on. Those who believe that should reconsider.

The Liberals under Mr. Trudeau risk a historic defeat that could approach the disasters of 1958, 1984, or 2011. According to polling expert Philippe Fournier of 338Canada.com, the argument that there is still time to turn things around appears to be “naive wishful thinking.”

“The Conservatives already have their winning coalition of voters,” he wrote on Sunday. Barring anything terrible, that vote is now final.

So, is it time for Trudeau to step down? Voters seem to believe so.

Data Dive with Nik Nanos: The national mood is dour—good news for the Conservatives

According to Nik Nanos’ poll for The Globe and Mail, 46 percent of Canadians believe Mr. Trudeau has done a poor job as Liberal Leader, while 25% think he has done an exceptional job. When asked how the Liberals could improve their prospects of winning the next election, 39% said they should replace Mr. Trudeau. Only 3% thought the party’s best option was for him to remain.

(The hybrid phone and online poll of 1,114 adults took place between January 29 and 31, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.9 percentage points 19 times out of 20.)

One of the most significant responsibilities of a political leader is to leave their party in good standing for their successor. Stephen Harper not only reunited the conservative movement and gave nearly ten years of rule, but he also left the Conservative Party with strong finances and 99 seats in the House following his 2015 election defeat.

He has a responsibility to leave a strong Liberal Party to the next leader. He must honestly examine himself whether being at the party’s helm is the best way to guarantee that outcome. Most voters appear to have come to their own judgments.

Source: The Globe and Mail

Canada’s Household Debt Nears $3 Trillion Under Trudeau

Canada’s Household Debt Nears $3 Trillion Under Trudeau

On Saturday, London’s Labour Party mayor Sadiq Khan won a record third term at City Hall, further embarrassing the Conservatives ahead of a general election. Khan won approximately 44% of the vote, more than 11 percentage points ahead of Conservative Party candidate Susan Hall.

He has the largest U.K. political mandate.

On Friday, there was wild speculation that the vote would be closer than expected, but Khan’s victory demonstrated a swing from Conservative to Labour compared to the 2021 mayoral election, which used a different electoral method.

Khan, who replaced Boris Johnson as London mayor in 2016 and has broad policing and financial powers, has become increasingly unpopular in recent years, especially in the suburbs, where he did worse than in the inner city.

His admirers believe he expanded house building, provided free school meals for young children, controlled transport prices, and supported London’s diverse groups. Critics believe he has caused a crime rise, is anti-car, and has unnecessarily allowed weekend pro-Palestinian marches.

Khan remarked during the final result announcement, “We faced a campaign of non-stop negativity, but I couldn’t be more proud that we answered the fearmongering with facts, hate with hope, and attempts to divide with efforts to unite.” Count Binface, a colorful British election candidate, stood behind him with a rubbish can on his head.

Sadiq Khan pushes diversity

Sadiq Khan said, “We ran a campaign that was in keeping with the spirit and values of this great city, a city that regards our diversity not as a weakness, but as an almighty strength, and one that rejects right hard-wing populism and looks forward, not back

Also re-elected Saturday were Liverpool, Greater Manchester, and West Yorkshire Labour mayors. Labour did best in the West Midlands, a major U.K. bellwether where the Conservative incumbent lost.

After taking over English councils for the first time in decades, Labour scored its latest achievements. The party also won a special election for a member in Parliament, which would be one of the Conservatives’ greatest losses ever.

The Conservatives lost the municipal elections, but Prime Minister Rishi Sunak appears to be safe from further dissent.

The Conservative mayor of Tees Valley in northeast England was reelected, albeit with a low vote share, easing Sunak’s concerns. In the West Midlands, Sunak hoped Andy Street would hold on, but Labour’s Richard Parker won by barely 2,000 votes.

Labour lost votes in Muslim parts of England due to the party leadership’s pro-Israel attitude during the Gaza war.

Upcoming UK Election

Keir Starmer acknowledged that the party has had challenges with Muslim voters, but the findings were generally encouraging for the frontrunner for prime minister in the upcoming general election.

Sunak can call the next election, which he says will be in the second part of 2024. Keir Starmer advised him to act now.

“We’re fed up with your division, chaos, and failure,” he stated Saturday. “If you leave your country in a worse state than when you found it, 14 years later, you do not deserve to be in government.”

Thursday’s elections in huge portions of England were vital because voters chose who would manage rubbish collection, road maintenance, and local crime prevention. However, a national election is focusing attention on them.

The results demonstrate that Sunak has not benefited the Conservative brand after Boris Johnson and Liz Truss damaged it, according to University of Strathclyde political scholar John Curtice.

“That in a sense is the big takeaway,” he told BBC radio.

Sunak became PM in October 2022 after Truss’s brief term. She resigned after 49 days after a budget of unfunded tax cuts shook financial markets and raised homeowner borrowing costs.

Following her predecessor Johnson’s expulsion for lying to Parliament about Downing Street coronavirus lockdown breaches, her chaotic and traumatic leadership aggravated the Conservatives’ problems.

By late afternoon Saturday, with most of the 2,661 local election seats tabulated, the Conservatives had lost half of their 1,000 seats, while Labour had gained 200 despite Gaza-related losses.

The Greens and centrist Liberal Democrats also gained. Reform U.K., which is aiming to defeat the Conservatives from the right, also did well in the special parliamentary election in Blackpool South, where it was less than 200 votes from second place.

Source: The Associated Press

Washington — On Friday, “Star Wars” actor Mark Hamill visited the White House with President Joe Biden, leaving with a pair of the president’s aviator sunglasses and a newfound respect for the job.

“I love the merch,” he added, removing his glasses briefly at the White House daily press briefing following his meeting with Biden. Hamill, 72, famous for playing Luke Skywalker, joked with reporters that he’d answer a few questions as long as they weren’t about “Star Wars.”

AP – VOR News Image

‘Star Wars’ Actor Mark Hamill Drops By White House For A Visit With ‘Joe-Bi-Wan Kenobi’

“I was honored to be asked to come to the White House to meet the president,” he told reporters. He’d been to the White House previously, during the Carter and Obama administrations, but he’d never seen the Oval Office, which he described as impressive. According to Hamill, Biden displayed photographs and other memorabilia from the Oval Office.

Hamill claimed Biden told him to call him “Joe,” to which Hamill responded with an alternative suggestion: “Can I call you Joe-bi-Wan Kenobi?”

“He liked that,” said Hamill, who also portrayed the Joker in “Batman: The Animated Series.”

AP – VOR News Image

‘Star Wars’ Actor Mark Hamill Drops By White House For A Visit With ‘Joe-Bi-Wan Kenobi’

Both Mark and the White House were hazy about the cause for his visit. But Mark, a Democrat and Biden supporter with a sizable social media following, has been posting about the president’s reelection campaign this week.

“May 1 Not Quench Your Thirst For Biden’s Re-election!” he tweeted on May 1.

On Friday, he wrote, “May 3 be absurd that the guy who tried to steal a fair election is allowed to run again,” referring to Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

May 4 is unofficially known as “Star Wars” Day, partly due to the famous Jedi line “May the Force Be With You.” The pun is “May 4 be with you.”

AP – VOR News Image

‘Star Wars’ Actor Mark Hamill Drops By White House For A Visit With ‘Joe-Bi-Wan Kenobi’

Mark also provided his voice for “Air Alert,” a downloadable program linked to Ukraine’s air defense system. His voice warns citizens to take cover if Russia launches another aerial strike on Ukraine.

SOURCE – (AP)