The Bridge with Peter Mansbridge Moore Butts Encore - How Do You Explain Last Week?
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Dec 31, 2025 Join political heavyweights James Moore, a former Conservative cabinet minister, and Jerry Butts, an experienced political strategist, as they dissect last week's whirlwind events in Canadian politics. They analyze the Liberal budget's surprising cross-party appeal and its match with campaign promises. The duo discusses the chaos in the Conservative opposition, leadership doubts, and the repercussions of overreacting to setbacks. Also covered are insights on floor-crossing tactics, public perception challenges, and the fragile balance of power shaping Canada's political landscape.
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Budget Was Politically Ecumenical
- The budget was neither strongly partisan nor strictly ideological according to James Moore.
- It mixed measures appealing to left, right and centre, making broad critiques possible but no single dominant narrative.
Opposition Fracture Rooted In Leadership Doubts
- Jerry Butts found the opposition's collapse around the budget extraordinary in a minority parliament.
- He traced it to doubts inside Conservative caucus about Pierre Poiliev's learning after his election loss and inflammatory public remarks.
Use Minority Leverage, Don't Purity-Test
- Conservative MPs should treat minority parliaments as arenas for building votes, not purity tests.
- James Moore urged reaching out to others to secure policy wins rather than rhetorical overreactions that forfeit leverage.