Polls tell us the Liberals are gaining ground. That Canadians are “warming” to Mark Carney. That Pierre Poilievre’s momentum may be peaking. But out here in the real world — at gas stations, coffee shops, barbershops — you’d be forgiven for wondering:
Who are they asking?
Across the GTA, people are talking — and what they’re saying doesn’t always match the headlines. It sounds more like:
“I’ve had enough of the Liberals.”
“We need change.”
“Time for them to go.”
It’s a quiet frustration, but a steady one. And if it sounds familiar, it should — we’ve seen this before.
A Familiar Pattern from South of the Border
Last year in the U.S., Donald Trump was leading in the polls against Joe Biden. Then Democrats made a surprise move — they replaced Biden with Kamala Harris. Overnight, the narrative flipped. Suddenly, Harris was ahead. The media called it a comeback.
But when Americans voted, the reality was clear: Trump won in a landslide, sweeping the swing states and exposing just how wrong the polling had been. After the election, analysts scrambled to explain the “polling failure.”
Now here in Canada, we’re watching a similar pivot.
When Trudeau was trailing, the Liberals made their own switch — bringing in Mark Carney as leader. And again, the polls flipped. Carney, we’re told, is Canada’s “steady hand,” the “fiscal grown-up,” the “anti-Poilievre.”
But is that what voters actually want?
Two Campaigns, Two Countries
There’s no doubt this election is about sovereignty and direction — especially with Trump back in the White House and Canada facing new U.S. tariffs and security demands. Carney’s message is globalist, calculated, and calm. Poilievre’s is populist, combative, and disruptive.
But the deeper divide is not just political — it’s cultural.
This election is a test of trust:
-
Do Canadians trust the system to work for them?
-
Do they trust the media to reflect their voices?
-
Do they trust the polls to mean something?
If the answer to those questions is “not really,” then we may be heading for a surprise — just like our neighbours were.
What Happens on April 28?
If the polls are right, the Liberals are staging a comeback.
If the people are right, they’re on their way out.
This isn’t just a battle of parties — it’s a battle of perception. And if we’ve learned anything from recent history, it’s that momentum on paper doesn’t always mean momentum at the ballot box.
April 28 will give us the only poll that counts.
📍 Canada Watch is GTA Weekly’s national affairs editorial, offering perspective on the week’s top stories from a GTA lens. Published every Monday. Follow us @GTAWeeklyNews for more. #GTAWeekly #GTAToday #CanadaWatch
It’s arguable whether the Liberal party is in fact liberal, when you turn your back on the working class in favour of corporate developers, are you not disqualified?
The best thing for true liberals, and everyone else, in the long run, is to vote for anyone else, just look at the damage they have done to Toronto, and we’re only seeing the tip of iceberg.
Voting for them is like hiring an arsonist to put out a fire they started.