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Welcome to National Post’s campaign Power Meter, where we will track the shifting tides of the election. As the race unfolds, we’ll rank parties, candidates and other characters based on momentum, performance, and public perception. Who’s gaining ground? Who’s losing steam? Keep checking in as we measure the moments that could shape the outcome.
LIBERAL MP PAUL CHIANG: Liberal Leader Mark Carney was asked three separate times by reporters about controversial comments by Liberal MP Paul Chiang, but he has refused to drop the candidate from the race in Markham—Unionville. Carney said he was personally offended by Chiang’s comments about handing a Conservative candidate over to Chinese authorities to collect a bounty, but said Chiang is a “person of integrity” who will learn from the incident. The controversy has been brewing since Friday, already making it a significant distraction for the Liberals.
POWER METER RATING: STRANGELY POWERFUL
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LOCAL MEDIA: Carney’s campaign was also on the defensive on Saturday after local media was prevented from covering the Liberal leader’s event to open his own campaign office. “This is the only time I’ve ever been barred access to a political event by a party leader,” tweeted Charlie Senack, the managing editor of the Kitchissippi Times. Senack said the Liberals quickly got in touch with him after that, calling it “a miscommunication” and offered a formal apology. He was surprised to find out, though, that Carney’s next two events in the riding were also closed to the media.
POWER METER RATING: FROZEN OUT
CONSERVATIVE DISCORD: Stop us if you’ve heard this one, but Conservatives seem to be fighting amongst themselves. Some in the party have been calling for Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre to pivot away from his traditional messaging towards a campaign focused on U.S. President Donald Trump and his threats of tariffs, while others think that will be a losing issue for the party, no matter how they address it. “A campaign is a long period of time, and one of the things you have to do is … put forward a hopeful plan and show stability, calmness and discipline,” longtime Conservative Michelle Rempel Garner told National Post.
POWER METER RATING: MINOR DISTRACTION (SO FAR)
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