Chief Strategy Officer and Managing Director Marci Surkes speaks to Paul Wells on the evolving political landscape of the election campaign. Liberal Leader Mark Carney is portrayed as positioning himself not just as “a manager of the economy,” but as “a visionary on the economy and economic matters.” Despite this effort, there’s a recognition that public awareness of Carney remains limited. Surkes remarked that if you “word cloud” people’s impressions, “the economy would be the word that popped,” which, while central to Carney’s image, may not be ideal for Conservatives at this early stage.

"If the ballot question is who is going to stand up against Trump and be stronger against Trump, that is where the Liberals believe they have the winning formula in Mr. Carney," Surkes said.

On the Conservative side, the strategy revolves around emphasizing change, reflected in the slogan “Canada first, for a change.” This aims to capture what Surkes describes as “the Canadian public’s hunger for change” while reinforcing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s core message about the risks of a fourth Liberal mandate. Conservatives are also focusing heavily on “domestic economic affordability issues,” which they have highlighted effectively over the past 18 to 24 months.

"I believe that is still very salient for the Conservatives to be running on as a narrative, and they have more of an upper hand there," Surkes said.

However, there’s uncertainty about whether affordability will be “the primary ballot question on E-Day” or whether other themes will dominate.