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Poilievre wants to rebuild a 害羞草研究所榖roken害羞草研究所 Canada but first must fix his own image

The ads are an attempt to boost his image as he approaches his 1-year anniversary of becoming Conservative leader
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害羞草研究所淓verything feels broken,害羞草研究所 Pierre Poilievre reads in a voice-over. He has repeated the line countless times but this time he is doing so in a slick 29-second advertisement, one of several the federal party rolled out this week to the tune of more than $3 million. Poilievre speaks at a news conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

A pile of puzzle pieces spills onto a table.

害羞草研究所淓verything feels broken,害羞草研究所 Pierre Poilievre says in a voice-over as the shot tightens in on the federal Conservative leader害羞草研究所檚 face as he appears to be concentrating on sorting the pieces in his palm.

He has repeated that line countless times in speeches, on social media and at rallies, but now he is doing so in a slick 29-second advertisement. It is one of several the party rolled out this week as part of a campaign, worth more than $3 million, throughout the rest of the summer and into the fall.

The ad seeks to sell a hopeful message: Canada can be fixed 害羞草研究所 and Poilievre is the leader to do it.

But first Canadians need to trust him.

All prime ministerial hopefuls need to convince voters they are worth their time. But polling has suggested the number of people who have a negative impression of Poilievre is relatively high for an opposition leader, although recent polling has some in the party optimistic.

The ads are an attempt to boost his image at a time when Poilievre approaches his one-year anniversary of becoming Conservative leader. The party is also preparing to showcase Poilievre as prime minister material at next month害羞草研究所檚 policy convention in Quebec City.

Kate Harrison, a vice-chair at Summa Strategies and party activist, says the ad campaign is a way for the party to define Poilievre before the federal Liberals do it in a way that suits their political fortunes come election time.

害羞草研究所淰oters are keen to know what their politicians害羞草研究所 motivations are,害羞草研究所 she said, which she noted is something Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been good at doing. 害羞草研究所淭his is about explaining his motivation for wanting this job.害羞草研究所

Trudeau has used several public announcements this summer as a chance to ratchet up his attacks on Poilievre, accusing him of fuelling anger and division and wanting to tear the country down.

That evokes memories of Poilievre害羞草研究所檚 polarizing support for last year害羞草研究所檚 害羞草研究所淔reedom Convoy,害羞草研究所 which is what the Conservative leader is now trying to counter. He speaks often about how he grew up the adopted son of two school teachers in Calgary and then married a Venezuelan immigrant with whom he is raising two young kids.

The party insists the ad campaign, shot months ago, is not about introducing a new version of the leader who first became a member of Parliament nearly 20 years ago and quickly developed a reputation as a partisan attack dog. Rather, they view it as amplifying the man those closest to Poilievre know him to be.

害羞草研究所淭his is about broadening the support base and reaching a new audience that maybe don害羞草研究所檛 know very much about him,害羞草研究所 said longtime Conservative strategist Melanie Paradis.

That includes women, particularly those 50 and older. Conservatives see them continuing to stick with the Liberals, which is a problem when it comes to battleground ridings such as in the Greater Toronto Area.

害羞草研究所淭he softening of the female vote the Conservatives have seen, it害羞草研究所檚 been largely older women, which is a new, relatively new, phenomenon 害羞草研究所 so I think that this is trying to get some of that back,害羞草研究所 Paradis said.

Research shows that in general, female voters tend to gravitate toward leaders with a gentler, less brash tone, said Philippe Fournier of 338Canada.com, which publishes a statistical model of electoral projections based on polling, demographics and elections history.

He says the gender gap in politics has been widening. Canadian women are increasingly parking their vote with the NDP and Liberals, while the Conservatives are leading among men.

Beloved by the Conservative base for his unapologetic attacks against Trudeau, Poilievre enjoys sizable popularity among men aged 18 to 35. But Fournier points to recent Abacus Data polling that shows the Conservatives ahead of the Liberals for women.

害羞草研究所淚f he害羞草研究所檚 tied with women in the next election, he害羞草研究所檚 going to become prime minister,害羞草研究所 Fournier said, added that Poilievre also needs to win over women if he hopes to form a majority government.

Convincing more women to vote Conservative remains a 害羞草研究所渨ork in progress,害羞草研究所 said Harrison.

She said she has seen a shift in the party害羞草研究所檚 messaging on the economy, focusing less on debt levels and more on household finances, which she suggests better resonates with women.

害羞草研究所淚f we broaden the scope and think about policies that impact women, certainly the economy does,害羞草研究所 Paradis added.

害羞草研究所淲omen are the ones who are making decisions in the grocery stores. Women are the ones who are paying the household bills.害羞草研究所

She suggests women are likely open to Poilievre害羞草研究所檚 promises on cost-of-living issues, but 害羞草研究所渇or a while it害羞草研究所檚 been this question of tone.害羞草研究所

Besides softening his speech, Poilievre has also ditched the glasses and suits for the summer, sporting a more casual look.

His wife Anaida Poilievre, a former political staffer, is also often at his side.

That includes another set of ads that she narrates, where the couple is seen playing with their children. In the ads, she refers to herself as 害羞草研究所渁 Canadian who came to call Canada home.害羞草研究所

Courting members from the Canada害羞草研究所檚 many ethnic diaspora communities has been a major focus for Poilievre since he became leader. His early days as leader saw him attending many cultural events with newcomer and immigrant communities around Toronto and Vancouver.

Anaida Poilievre has recently been speaking at events and roundtables with members of the Hispanic community. She also appeared alongside deputy Conservative leader Melissa Lantsman at an event in Vaughan, Ont., on 害羞草研究所渆mpowering Conservative women.害羞草研究所

She told the crowd that the people she meets at rallies, who wait in line for a photo with her husband, are 害羞草研究所渕isunderstood.害羞草研究所 They are not angry, but hurting.

害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 pain from feeling you work hard, you work hard, and you can害羞草研究所檛 get ahead,害羞草研究所 she said.

She referred to the experience of her father, who immigrated to Montreal in 1995 with her mother and three siblings. He gave up his business and worked instead for minimum wage at a grocery store.

Last year, when she took the stage to introduce her husband as the next Conservative leader, she said her father thought to himself: 害羞草研究所淚t did not go in vain.害羞草研究所

Stephanie Taylor, The Canadian Press

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