
Show Notes
Mark Carney’s Liberal government tabled what it called its ‘generational’ budget on Tuesday, promising a mix of spending and cuts and booking a big budget deficit. So far, the Conservatives and Bloc Québécois look set to vote it down. The New Democrats are on the fence.
But the drama of budget day was punctuated by the defection of Nova Scotia MP Chris d’Entremont from the Conservatives to the Liberals. He might not be the only one to cross the floor as rumours fly. What does it mean for the fate of the government, Pierre Poilievre’s leadership and the potential for a snap election?
We had good reason to delay this week’s episode of The Numbers until after the budget so we could break down all the latest drama — because there’s quite a bit of it! We also discuss the state of the NDP leadership race and some new provincial polling out of Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta, as well as the results of the mayoral elections in Quebec and the territorial vote in Yukon.
CORRECTION: In Philippe’s Number of the Week, he said 85% when he meant 75%.
Looking for even more of The Numbers? If you join our Patreon and support this joint project of ours, you’ll get ad-free episodes every week, bonus episodes several times per month and access to our lively Discord. Join here!
The bonus episodes are also available via an Apple Podcasts subscription.
You watch this episode on YouTube. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More from The Numbers
As the polls had predicted, the Remain side won the Alberta referendum in a landslide, as Albertans opted for the status quo in their province. But in next-door British Columbia, voters might be about to back a change of a different kind.
Little more than a week remains in the B.C. election campaign that the NDP’s David Eby set in motion, two years ahead of schedule. The leaders debate took place last night and things could still change. But the polls are not looking good for the New Democrats. Are they about to lose this election and give Lorne Doerkson and his B.C. Conservatives an unexpected victory?
It’s not very often we see a party go from a landslide victory in one election to a complete wipeout in the next. But that’s what happened on Monday when the Coalition Avenir Québec was reduced to zero seats after winning 90 in the last Quebec provincial election. But the CAQ’s wipeout did not deliver the Parti Québécois a majority government. What happened?
Prime Minister Mark Carney appears to be walking on water in the polls, as new numbers put the Liberals and their leader at highs not seen before in recent history. Meanwhile, support for Pierre Poilievre and the Conservatives drops to new lows as an upcoming resignation means the party will face another tough byelection in the coming months.
B.C. Premier David Eby has staked his government on an early election, pitching to voters that U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats to Canada’s economy and sovereignty forces him to request a new mandate from voters. But could the snap election call backfire if those voters instead decide that it was a cynical attempt to take advantage of the disarray within the B.C. Conservative Party?