The federal Conservatives in Canada have been having a hard time since they lost an easy election.

Pierre Poilievre, who once made it as far he did on bravado, was gotten meek, and it’s costing him.

I doubt he is going to stay leader of the Conservatives come next election. Too many lost opportunities, too many defections. He has actually made the next likely leader’s ascension into a virtually guaranteed coronation.

And it is not hard to figure out. Mark Carney’s artificial majority actually buys the next one in line time. Should the Liberals increase taxes or borrow, that’s the crack the rival needs.

The next federal campaign started today. A quiet one, but a real one. Where it goes, is still anyone’s guess, but it won’t be boring or business as usual.

Pierre Poilievre had his chance. He had a significant lead, and managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. He arrived, but he couldn’t deliver, and in life, that’s the only metric that counts.