Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre needs to shed his aversion to speaking to American audiences. It would be good for his electoral prospects, but much more importantly, it would be good for Canada.

When the next federal election looked to be a referendum on the leadership of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the likely outcome was a huge parliamentary majority for the Conservatives. That era is over and the likely ballot question now is who can best defend Canada’s interests in the face of U.S. President Donald Trump’s erratic and vengeful behaviour towards us.