Jonathan Malloy and Conrad Winn comment in this article.
Political scientists noted there were two ways for the Liberals to tackle Poilievre: his message and his tone.
Carleton University political scientist Jonathan Malloy said the question for him was whether the Liberals would be able to be successful using the old refrain they used against Harper: sunny ways.
“The only question for me is whether the Liberals—with their allegedly still-sunny ways—are able to outshine Poilievre because he does have a more abrasive tone than Harper,” he said. “But politics is more abrasive than it was 10 years ago. So all Poilievre’s doing is just moving with the times.”
Conrad Winn, a professor of political science at Carleton University, said Poilievre’s style of politics makes him come across as a strong politician.
“If you’re an opposition leader, and you want to earn credibility, and you want to earn the people’s trust, you have to look strong,” he said in an interview.
Having a strong personality as an opposition leader doesn’t necessarily translate into being a strong prime minister, he noted, “but having a strong personality is a plus.”
As for whether the Liberals should focus on attacking Poilievre’s tone over his policy ideas, Winn said it could make the Liberals look weak to begrudge Poilievre for his abrasive style.