If you want a preview of the next election campaign, just watch the Canada Day messages from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre. They were a study in contrast in style, tone, content and vision. They also illustrate why the Conservatives are 20 points ahead of the Liberals in the polls, and likely to remain so.

Trudeau began by exhorting Canadians to celebrate “the incredible people, the land and the story that is Canada.” He acknowledged Indigenous peoples and honoured Canadian soldiers in the Second World War, but spoke not a word about anyone in between. He thanked “trailblazers, journalists, activists, organizers” for safeguarding Canadian rights and freedoms, and mentioned that Canada continues to confront injustices and learn from them “that we’re stronger not in spite of our differences, but because of them.”