Tories’ bon cop, bad cop routine

Shadow cabinet shows Scheer is learning

Canadians appear to regard t he prospect of Andrew Scheer as prime minister with the same incredulity audiences at the premiere of Conan the Barbarian might have greeted the news they were watching the future governor of California.

Tracking polls suggest the Conservatives are trailing the Liberals by around 10 percentage points and the new leader has not had the customary bump in popularity he might have expected in his honeymoon period.

There are already rumblings that the Tories may have made a massive miscalculation in choosing the bashful Scheer.

But some perspective is in order. The Conservative leader is up against a man who may be the most popular politician in the world.

Canada has j ust been voted the most positive influence in global affairs and much of the credit for that goes to Justin Trudeau, the ShamWow Guy of i nternational relations.

Scheer can’t possibly compete with that level of political showmanship. All he can do is wait and hope that Canadians will eventually tire of the Liberals — something that, realistically, looks unlikely to happen before 2019.

But if winning the next election looks a long shot, holding the Liberals to a minority government does not. Trudeau would have to lose just 15 seats to see his majority eroded — and there is enough discontent brewing in places like Atlantic Canada, Alberta and British Columbia to suggest this is a realistic possibility.

The Conservative leader would be well- positioned to bid for power in 2023, at the grand old age of 44, if he can improve on the status quo in two years time.

Scheer unveiled the team he is likely to lead into the 2019 election Wednesday and there was enough evidence to suggest he has learned the lessons of recent Conservative history.