The Numbers: Poilievre Suffers Another Blow as Roller-Coaster Year Comes to an End
Another floor-crossing, many close polls, and much uncertainty heading into 2026.
One year ago today, Chrystia Freeland resigned from Justin Trudeau’s cabinet and kicked off a series of events that led to the Liberals winning re-election under new leader Mark Carney in April’s federal election.
Also one year ago today, Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives were enjoying a 20+ point lead in the polls. Now, the beleaguered Conservative leader has lost his second MP to the Liberals in little more than a month.
It’s been quite a roller-coaster year.
On this week’s episode of The Numbers, we discuss the defection of Markham–Unionville MP Michael Ma to the Liberals and what it means for Poilievre’s leadership of the Conservative Party.
We also play a game of Election Draft, drafting what we think are the most likely unscheduled elections to take place in 2026.
Listen to the episode on your favourite platform:
You may also watch the episode on YouTube:
Want even more of The Numbers? Members of our Patreon get extra mailbag episodes every week and special episodes monthly, as well as access to our Discord. Also: Ad-free episodes!
You can get these exclusives and support our joint project by becoming a member of our Patreon here.


