The federal Conservative leader still hasn’t directly endorsed B.C. Conservative leader John Rustad
It’s possible that federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre joined the NDP in being quietly disappointed by the bid’s failure, at least if his silence on the provincial campaign is anything to go by.
Poilievre spokesman Sebastian Skamski declined to say if the Opposition leader would endorse Rustad when asked by the National Post on Wednesday.
But while imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, Poilievre hasn’t shown any signs that he is enamoured with Rustad’s karaoke act.
Vancouver-based conservative strategist Kareem Allam said on Tuesday that the federal and provincial Conservatives are “two very different parties,” despite the surface-level similarities.
Allam said that one of the biggest differences between the two parties concerns how each engages with ethnic minority communities.
“If Poilievre has a question about ethnic outreach, he knows who to pick up the phone and call.”
Allam said that most people he still keeps in touch with from the ABC Vancouver campaign have told him they won’t be voting for the B.C. Conservatives this time around. All, for now, still plan to vote Conservative in the next federal election.
Kurl likewise suspects that the racial slights have led Poilievre to keep a safe distance from the B.C. Conservative campaign.
“Poilievre and his team have very deliberately built up a multicultural candidate pool and support base that looks like Canada,” Kurl said on Tuesday.
Liberal strategist Sharan Kaur says a Rustad-led B.C. government could be a headache for Poilievre.
National Post
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