The Conservative MP’s ‘blame Canada’ tour was an immense misreading of the public mood, and the polls are reflecting the backlash.
The Conservatives are collapsing in the polls. Survey after survey shows the Liberals extending their lead, breaking what had been a relatively tight race ever since the 2025 election:
While many factors could be contributing to the drop in Conservative support and the growing Liberal lead, I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the Conservatives are falling behind following Jivani’s Washington, D.C. junket. During his trip, Jivani did little other than repeat Trump messaging, and following his trip, he made incredibly poorly-received remarks speaking to a U.S. right-wing media outlet.
As I noted at the time, Jivani’s rhetoric aligned him with the Trump Administration and against Canada’s interests:
“You are now seeing the pattern with Jivani’s comments. He never acknowledges where Canadians’ anger towards the Trump Administration comes from. He never acknowledges Trump’s annexation threats, ever-changing demands, and deliberate effort to inflict economic pain on Canadians to force us to give up our sovereignty. Jivani pretends none of that exists, and then acts as if Canadians are angry for some sort of unknowable irrational reason.
Jivani also ignores that Canada was engaged in good-faith talks with the U.S., which were then ended when Trump got angry about a mild TV ad that simply repeated the pro-trade comments of former U.S. President Ronald Reagan. Notably, Jivani ignores this while also ignoring real interference – the Trump Administration meeting with those trying to make Alberta separate from Canada. By ignoring all of this, and by blaming Canadians and our Prime Minister for Trump’s actions, Jivani has effectively chosen to side with the Trump Administration rather than with Canada and the Canadian People.”
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre distanced the CPC from Jivani’s remarks, declaring, “he speaks for himself, I speak for the party,” and saying he did not agree with Jivani’s characterization of Canadians’ reaction to the Trump Administration as a “hissy fit.” Still, the damage was done, and without any further action having been taken by Poilievre against Jivani, the CPC is still being tied to Jivani’s comments.
We continue to see an immense misreading on the part of some on the right when it comes to how Canadians feel about the United States. The same Angus Reid poll showing the CPC collapsing also showed 74% of Canadians saying they have an unfavourable view of the United States, compared to just 21% who have a favourable view. While some on the right want to keep avoiding criticism of Trump and are trying to blame the Canadian Government for ‘failing to get a deal,’ that kind of rhetoric simply doesn’t fly with most Canadians. The majority of the country rightfully sees that Trump’s hostility to Canada, dishonesty, and instability are what have caused the trade conflict, and attempts to pin the blame elsewhere consistently backfire.
It remains to be seen if further action will be taken against Jivani within the CPC. With crumbling poll numbers, the CPC will face immense pressure to change course, and they would be wise to do so by emulating Doug Ford, Tim Houston, Jason Kenney, and former PM Stephen Harper, who have refused to go down the ‘Blame Canada’ path and have instead been willing to criticize Donald Trump for his unacceptable treatment of Canada.
Spencer Fernando
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