HALIFAX — Federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is riding a wave of popularity in most parts of Canada these days, but you wouldn’t know it if you asked the outgoing leader of Nova Scotia’s Progressive Conservative Party .

Tim Houston, who is seeking a second term in the premier’s office, said Monday he has no plans to invite Poilievre to join him on the campaign trail ahead of the Nov. 26 provincial election.

“No, because … I’m not a member of any federal party,” Houston told reporters at a campaign event in Halifax.

“There is no federal equivalent to the Nova Scotia PC Party…there is a Conservative Party of Canada. It’s a completely different party with a different leader. I am not a member of this party. I do not intend to invite the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada. Conservative Party of Canada to campaign with me. »

He did not mention Poilievre by name.

Houston went on to explain that there is no real division between the federal and provincial wings of the New Democratic Party and the Liberal Party.

“I am not beholden to any federal leader the way my counterparts are in this election,” said the 54-year-old former accountant, referring to provincial NDP Leader Claudia Chender and Liberal Leader Zach Churchill, who are running both for their first election as deputies. party leaders.

“It would be welcome if Mr. Churchill or Ms. Chender put Nova Scotians ahead of their political parties.”

However, over the past week, Houston has frequently launched partisan attacks against Churchill, trying to link him to the declining popularity of Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

But this strategy — favored by conservative prime ministers — can be risky, said Erin Crandall, a politics professor at Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia.

“If you view the attachment between a federal and provincial party as a detriment… it would be contradictory to campaign with what would be the equivalent party leader at the federal level,” Crandall said.

More importantly, Crandall said the latest polls suggest Atlantic Canadians aren’t very impressed with Poilievre.

Last month, Abacus Data released the results of a national poll of 1,900 people, showing that 40 percent of engaged voters surveyed in Atlantic Canada would support Poilievre, but that figure was the second lowest in country, with Quebec voters being those who showed the least interest. for the Conservative leader at 24 percent.

On Saturday, Abacus CEO David Colletto released a Nova Scotia poll showing that Houston’s party was well ahead in voter support, but it was clear that result had little or nothing to do with Poilievre.

“One of the important findings of our investigation is the relative unpopularity of Justin Trudeau and Pierre Poilievre in Nova Scotia,” Colletto said in a social media post on Sunday. “As in other provincial elections, Trudeau will be a factor, but in (Nova Scotia), Poilievre could also be a factor.”

While 56 per cent of respondents in Nova Scotia had a negative opinion of Trudeau, Poilievre was not far behind at 45 per cent, according to the provincial poll.

Crandall suggested that Poilievre, well known for his combative and tough approach to politics, is likely facing the same kind of resistance that led to last month’s defeat of New Brunswick’s Progressive Conservative government led by Blaine Higgs.

Under Higgs, the Progressive Conservatives adopted a socially conservative approach that included, among other things, the decision to order teachers to obtain parental consent before using the preferred pronouns of transgender students under the age of 16.

“What we saw in New Brunswick is that it ended up alienating some traditionally conservative voters, those who consider themselves fiscally conservative but not socially conservative,” Crandall said. “There seems to be less tolerance for this type of political approach.”

Poilievre did not participate in the New Brunswick election campaign.

And it is almost certain that Trudeau will not campaign in Nova Scotia.

Churchill, a 40-year-old former political analyst and student organizer, said this Monday during a campaign event at the provincial Liberal campaign headquarters in Halifax.

“We’re running our own campaign,” said Churchill, who was first elected to the Legislative Assembly at age 26. “Tim Houston is trying to fool people into believing that these provincial elections have anything to do with the governance of the country. No. So no, we do not intend (to invite Trudeau).”

As for the Nova Scotia NDP, which the Abacus provincial poll shows is in a tight race with the Liberals for second place, Chender was joined on the campaign trail by federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh on Friday and Saturday , marking the end of the first week of campaigning. the countryside.

“Jagmeet is our federal leader and a friend,” Chender, a 48-year-old lawyer and former consultant, said Monday at a campaign event in Halifax.

“We’ve heard on the doorstep how happy people are about things like the (federal NDP) dental program…people are so excited to finally be able to get dental care when they haven’t had any before. didn’t have the means before.”

Crandall said the federal NDP’s decision to support Trudeau’s minority government for about three years through a now-defunct confidence and supply agreement likely won’t have much impact on the Nova Scotia election results.

“Compared to the current Liberals, the federal leader of the NDP is relatively popular,” Crandall said. “I don’t think (the federal NDP/Liberal alliance) will have much impact in the eyes of (Nova Scotia) voters.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published November 5, 2024.

Michael MacDonald, The Canadian Press