From polling to populism: A 2024 Canadian political primer

In today’s Big Story Podcast, for the first time in years, 2023 saw Canadian voters shift their federal vote intention in a meaningful way. This gives the Conservative Party a huge lead in the fall, before the Liberals clawed back a few points in December. With a federal election a year or less away, the race is more volatile than it’s been in recent memory — so what might make a difference this year?

Philippe J. Fournier is the editor-in-chief and creator of 338Canada.com. “There’s still time and space for Mr. Poilievre to tumble and for the Liberals to have the benefit of time to go back up,” said Fournier. “But needless to say, that when you see a double-digit lead that has been sustained for what, six months now, this is a real momentum shift that rarely happens in politics.”

Meanwhile, three provinces will also go to the polls, and we’ll learn a lot from the results of those elections as well. From the man who watches every riding, poll and election across the country, we take you what could be a year of big changes in Canada’s political landscape.