It’s been a while since our last issue. Hope you’re all doing well and enjoying this last week of summer.

I took a few days off last week for some family time. Then I spent this past Monday working for Elections Canada at one of the polling stations for the byelection.

Several people think I’m crazy for signing up. It’s a super long day, starting at 5 am and running until 10 pm after the votes are counted.

But I really enjoy it. Not only is it a change of scenery from my day job, but the vast majority of people who show up are thrilled to be voting. It reminds me how lucky we are to live in a true democracy.

The best is when a new Canadian walks in to vote in their first election, having immigrated from a country where voting doesn’t happen. Nothing beats that.

So it’s no surprise that today’s feature story is about the byelection results. Spoiler alert: Carney cleaned up.

Is there any chance he might lose some seats? Our breakdown is below, along with our usual poll for you to leave a mark.

-Neil

Mark Carney’s timing couldn’t be better.

With a trade war underway and Canadians seeing him as the leader best equipped to handle Washington, Conservative talking points on affordability and spending will struggle to break through.

Toss in a weakened Pierre Poilievre who isn’t capturing anyone’s attention these days, and Carney is unlikely to face much of a challenge to his government anytime soon.

Carney’s popularity rests largely on his handling of Donald Trump — but that’s also his biggest vulnerability.

If the trade war drags on with more jobs disappearing and affordability getting even worse, the Conservative message will eventually start getting noticed — especially if the party decides that Pierre Poilievre is no longer the right guy for the job.