If the Liberals are weighing an election, how does the opposition stack up?
Speculation about a federal election is growing as Canada's federal party leaders hold campaign-style events across the country. On this week’s episode of Trend Line, Nanos Research's Nik Nanos breaks down where the opposition leaders stand in popular support.
Erin O'Toole
According to Nanos, the Conservative leader's path to power runs directly through Ontario. If O'Toole can't win the battleground ridings in Canada's most populous province, it is "hard to see a scenario" where he will be able to defeat Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
"They have to really wage war on the ground in Ontario in order to pick up support," said Nanos.
Jagmeet Singh
Canadians generally have a positive view of the NDP leader, but that didn't translate to additional support in the 2019 federal election. So what does Jagmeet Singh have to change to mount a serious challenge in the next campaign?
Nanos says Singh needs to recapture some "old-style NDP magic from Jack Layton" because the party may benefit from strategic voting, but warned the New Democrats will still face significant challenges in Quebec.
Annamie Paul
Canada's Green Party has been in the news for all the wrong reasons over the past month, and Nanos warns that Annamie Paul needs to quell infighting in the party, which has eroded public goodwill from her leadership campaign.
Nanos says that voting Green was a choice "three out of every 10 Canadians would consider," but the current infighting has "diminished the enthusiasm."
Yves-Francois Blanchet
The Bloc Quebecois made strong gains in the last federal election, and that support came primarily at the expense of the NDP. The challenge for Yves-Francois Blanchet in the next election will be to keep the Liberals at bay, with Nanos warning Trudeau's party could be extremely competitive in a number of races in Quebec.
"The Liberals have been eating the Bloc's lunch," warned Nanos. "They've been basically stealing a lot of the planks that naturally would be strengths for the Bloc."
Listen to the full episode of Trend Line with CTVNews.ca's Michael Stittle and Nanos Research's Nik Nanos wherever you get your podcasts or by clicking on the video at the top of this article.
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