Afternoon front page: What is really happening with the Conservative ‘infighting’; Trump suggests punishment coming over Canada’s wildfires; and more
- Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has shifted the party's focus with a populist message targeting “gatekeepers” blocking affordable housing, jobs, and prosperity, attracting younger voters eager to disrupt the status quo.
- Former President Trump hinted at imposing a punishment related to Canadian wildfire smoke, continuing his previous threats of tariffs against Canada over smoke from Northern Ontario wildfires.
- Daniel Hannan, a House of Lords member, discusses the frequent downfall of British prime ministers and suggests that Britain’s Conservative and Reform parties could learn from Canada’s Conservative party to effectively challenge Labour.
- In 2025, 78% of federal workers received pay raises, while less than 0.15% saw pay cuts; however, nearly a third of government departments missed their performance targets, and 10% lacked data on their performance outcomes.
It’s Tuesday, August 4. Here are the top stories we’re following today.
For one thing, with a populist message about driving out “gatekeepers” standing in the way of affordable housing, jobs and prosperity, leader Pierre Poilievre has yanked the Conservative party in a new direction, pulling in younger voters who want to disrupt the status quo rather than preserve it.
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Trump was asked on Sunday if he has decided on a punishment for the wildfire smoke from Canada, and he replied: “I have, yeah. You’ll find out about it.” He did not elaborate on what this punishment might be, but he has previously threatened to impose further tariffs on Canada in response to smoke from wildfires in Northern Ontario.
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Daniel Hannan, an independent member of the House of Lords, talks about why so many British prime ministers keep falling, and what the new Labour leader’s chances look like. He also tells why he thinks the Conservative and Reform parties need to learn an important lesson from Canada’s Conservative party to beat Labour.
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Numbers show that 78 per cent of federal workers received a pay raise in 2025, while fewer than one seventh of one per cent saw their wages drop. At the same time, nearly a third of government departments did not meet their performance targets, and 10 per cent had no data available on whether or not they did.
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“As a Conservative member of Parliament, I firmly reject Trump and Trumpism — not despite being a Conservative, but because I am one,” Seeback states. He adds that “Canadians deserve a serious debate about the Liberal government’s decisions and their consequences, not an attempt to discredit legitimate criticism by equating it with Trumpism.”
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