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Federal Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre was in this province last week as he continues to lay out his plans for taking the country in a different direction than the one steered by the ruling Liberals

Housing was the big topic, as Poilievre again vowed to chase the “gatekeepers” out of power and threatened to withhold federal infrastructure funding (and other money) from big cities that don’t increase homebuilding by at least 15 per cent a year

Issues such as housing, public safety, inflation and such are good ones for the Conservative leader to focus on since so many Canadians are concerned about them

There seems to be a lot of worry in this country right now, as the economy looks increasingly fragile Housing remains unaffordable for many, and the health-care system is showing more and more fault lines, right across the country.

So, a natural question is, given all this, why aren’t Poilievre and his party soaring in popularity at a time when so many things look to be in trouble, not the least of which is the ruling Liberals?

While polls show the Conservatives have opened a six-point lead over the Liberals on a national basis, a closer look at the numbers shows the party has some serious work to do if it hopes to dislodge the Liberals from power come the next election.

For one thing, Justin Trudeau is still preferred as a leader over Poilievre by a significant margin in riding-rich Ontario (41 per cent to 34 per cent) and Quebec (36 per cent to 24 per cent) and by a smaller margin in B C (38 per cent to 33 per cent). Nationally, Trudeau has a slight edge of 37 per cent to 34 per cent

Secondly, the Liberals have strong leads in areas where most of the country’s ridings are located: Greater Toronto, Metro Vancouver and Montreal.

If a party cannot win the bulk of the ridings in those three urban centers it has little, if any, chance of gaining power in Parliament

The numbers did uncover a finding, however, that should cheer the Conservatives and worry the Liberals

The poll found just 73 per cent of people who voted Liberal in the 2021 election say they will do so again, compared to a finding of 87 per cent for the Conservatives

The Angus Reid Institute calls this the “fatigue factor” and it may grow as a problem for the Liberals Unless Trudeau pulls the plug early, the next election is still two years away; plenty of time for Poilievre to improve his popularity in crucial regions

Keith Baldrey is the chief political reporter for Global BC