At a moment when the federal government is going to war with a powerful and determined enemy, Poilievre’s parliamentary tactics — denounce, delay, and paralyze — would be welcome fodder for U.S. President Donald Trump. He is a man experienced at sowing and reaping the rewards from a divided enemy.

One can imagine Poilievre holding up Parliament, again, on a key counter attack against Trump. The consequences for Canada’s ability to win this war we are now entering, could be disastrous. Trump is a master at divide and conquer.

This frustrating result has a clear message for his party: elect a new leader. You cannot sustain party unity with a defeated leader, hated by two elected Tory premiers. Tim Houston does not govern a large province, but his popularity is much wider than Nova Scotia. He sent a glowing message to Carney within hours of his election.

But the more serious division is that between Poilievre and Premier Doug Ford. Ontario’s premier has open contempt for his federal leader and worked to undermine him during this election. It didn’t work in Ontario, where the Conservatives did much better than forecast. This will only further enrage Ontario Tories. Back in the day, Premier Bill Davis conducted cordial back channel negotiations with Pierre Trudeau. However, he avoided directly attacking Joe Clark, even though the mutual dislike was undeniable.