Trudeau doesn’t have many options left. He might be tempted to use Trump as an insult against Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre

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Donald Trump reportedly described Justin Trudeau as a “behind-your-back guy,” after the two fell out over tariffs during the president-elect’s first term in office.

As Trudeau continues to languish in domestic opinion polls, he may be tempted to reprise his role as the “behind your back guy” by attempting to appease the president on trade and security to his face, while sub rosa, using him as a warning about what Canadians can expect if they elect the Conservatives.

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Trudeau doesn’t have many options left to him but one the polling suggests might work is to compare Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre with Trump.

An online Liberal ad that appeared earlier this year featured the famous shot of Poilievre eating an apple, while refuting a journalist’s claim that he has taken a page out of Trump’s book.

The ad then juxtaposes footage of Trump and Poilievre both criticizing the media, complaining their country is “broken,” lambasting left-wing censorship and calling for voters to “bring it home.” In the House of Commons, Trudeau accused Poilievre of “importing far-right American style politics.”

An Abacus Data poll from January indicated that four in 10 Canadian voters see Trump and Poilievre as similar in several ways. Those respondents who saw them as different were more likely to vote Conservative, while those who saw them as similar tilted towards the Liberals.

“Associating Pierre Poilievre with Donald Trump may be an effective strategy........

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