Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
[00:00:20] Speaker B: Hey everybody.
[00:00:21] Speaker C: Welcome back to In Focus with David Coletto. I'm David Coletto. Today we're turning to Sun Tzu.
[00:00:27] Speaker B: Yes, that Sun Tzu and his classic.
[00:00:30] Speaker C: Treatise, the Art of War.
[00:00:32] Speaker B: Now you might think that 6th century BC military strategy has little to do with a modern day Canadian election, but you'd be surprised just how timeless I.
[00:00:42] Speaker C: Think his insights can be.
[00:00:45] Speaker B: Now, Sun Tzu famously wrote, those skilled in war bring the enemy to the.
[00:00:51] Speaker C: Field of battle and and are not.
[00:00:53] Speaker B: Brought there by him. In political speak, that's about defining the issues and shaping the battlefield on your own terms. Something our major political parties are trying to do right now as we inch closer to a likely election, an election that by all accounts most people in Ottawa, anyways, I've talked to believe will start this weekend. Our latest abacus data polling shows that Conservatives hold a big lead among Canadians who list the cost of living as.
[00:01:22] Speaker C: A top issue in our most recent survey.
[00:01:25] Speaker B: About 6 in 10, 61% do. And among those voters, 36% say they would prefer the Conservatives approach to affordability.
[00:01:34] Speaker C: Compared to just the mid-20s for the.
[00:01:36] Speaker B: Liberals and 14% for the NDP. Now that gap widens on the broader economy, 45% of Canadians believe the Conservatives.
[00:01:45] Speaker C: Are best able to handle it among people who pick the economy as a top issue, versus 21% for the liberals.
[00:01:52] Speaker B: No wonder Pierre Poliev keeps pounding away.
[00:01:54] Speaker C: On carbon taxes, grocery prices and housing. This is really his home turf, the.
[00:02:01] Speaker B: Ground he wants to fight on. Meanwhile, the Liberals and Mark Carney would much rather talk about Donald Trump, his threats and his tariffs. Our Polling shows that 37% of Canadians trust the Liberals more on the Trump issue compared to 26% who trust the Conservatives. On climate change, we see a similar advantage for the Liberals, 27% for the Liberals too, just 13% for the Conservatives, reinforcing why they want to pivot the conversation away from affordability and day to day scarcity issues and towards what they frame as more ideological values based choices and the sense of security that Mark Carney might bring.
Now, Sun Tzu's principle is also evident in each party's campaign tactics. We've all seen the billboard, perhaps on social media, contrasting the tax under Prime Minister Trudeau and former bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney, now the prime minister, with relief under Pierre Polievin, the Conservative. It's a stark visual that hammers home a message Conservatives want this election fought on affordability. In response, the Liberals have been pushing ads trying to put Poliev and Trump in the same boat hoping to move the battle onto ground where the Liberals.
[00:03:24] Speaker D: Enjoy a clear advantage.
[00:03:26] Speaker B: After all, if the choice becomes Trump style, populism versus a more moderate approach, right?
[00:03:33] Speaker C: As the Liberals might argue, chaos with.
[00:03:35] Speaker B: Poliev versus calm with Carney. A secure set of hands guiding the.
[00:03:40] Speaker C: Country through this rough time, many believe.
[00:03:45] Speaker D: And the Liberals likely believe, that Canadians will side with them.
[00:03:49] Speaker B: So how does Sun Tzu fit in? He'd say each party is trying to bring the enemy onto territory that plays to their strengths, whether it's affordability for the Conservatives or Trump and larger ideological contrasts for the Liberals. If one side manages to lock the campaign's focus on their strongest issue, they'll have seized the high ground. That is what we call setting the ballot question, framing the choice for voters.
[00:04:17] Speaker D: As we head towards an election.
[00:04:20] Speaker B: Ultimately, this election, if it is called this weekend, may hinge on whether Canadians stay laser focused on rising costs or shift their gaze as they have done substantially. We see Trump as a top issue rising 24 points in two months. And if they shift that gaze to existential threats like Trump's tariffs, annexation talk or even climate change, that will benefit the Liberals. Either way, it's textbook Sun Tzu. Shape the battlefield, define the fight and.
[00:04:50] Speaker D: Make your opponent play catch up.
[00:04:52] Speaker B: Thanks for listening to Infocus with David Coletto. If you enjoy these deep dives, consider supporting my work at my substack davidcolleto.substack.com where you can subscribe for free or go paid for even more in depth exclusive analysis you won't find anywhere else.
[00:05:09] Speaker C: The election is approaching and man, I'm excited. It's going to be a fascinating moment.
[00:05:13] Speaker B: I hope you'll subscribe to this podcast.
[00:05:15] Speaker C: I'm going to have lots of insights along the way. Until next time, stay informed and remember, sometimes the oldest strategies can have the most modern applications.
[00:05:25] Speaker D: Take care.
