Afternoon front page: Poilievre’s ‘style disadvantage’; ex-Raptors coach battles for $700K Ontario tax rebate; and more

Prime Minister Mark Carney and Conservative Party of Canada Leader Pierre Poilievre speak before proceedings in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa February 11, 2026. Photo by Blair Gable /Postmedia

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It’s Monday, August 10. Here are the top stories we’re following today.

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Carney’s lead over Poilievre may be more about vibes than policies, new poll suggests

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A poll asked Canadians about six policy positions on which the Liberals and Conservatives broadly share similar objectives. No matter the policy, respondents trusted Mark Carney more than Pierre Poilievre when either man said a policy would be good for Canada. “Maybe Poilievre has the style disadvantage because… he generates a pretty negative reaction for a lot of people, just seeing the guy,” Leger’s pollster suggests.

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Former Raptors coach Nick Nurse helped Toronto win its first NBA title. Now he’s battling Ontario over a foreign buyer tax of $700,000. Photo by Jack Boland/Toronto Sun/Postmedia

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Former Raptors coach suing Ontario over refusal to refund $700K foreign buyer tax

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Nick Nurse and his wife purchased the home at the heart of the tax case in October 2021 and sold it in September 2023. The couple applied for their rebate in March 2024, but the government said they did not qualify because they did not live in the house up to the date when they applied.

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Author Gad Saad. Photo by Dave Gordon for National Post

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Canada’s ‘suicidal empathy’ hits its terminal stage: Full Comment podcast

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Professor Gad Saad discusses the fatal flaw of excessive empathy — and how Canada is rapidly succumbing to it. Radical values imposed by our institutions frame our history as shameful. They have led us to embrace immigrants who reject us and have made us tolerate the intolerant.

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Protesters block a rail line in Vancouver on Feb. 23, 2020. Photo by Arlen Redekop/PNG/Postmedia

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Opinion: B.C. NDP undermining democracy with Indigenous sovereignty

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The authors explain that B.C. is negotiating what it calls a “comprehensive reconciliation agreement,” giving enhanced control over boundaries and the local economy to some First Nations, while still providing government cheques. “In effect, the provincial government, accountable to all British Columbians, has become a desk clerk that issues paperwork, for which it does not possess the final sign-off,” they say.

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A sign marking the international border between the United States and Canada is pictured at Peace Arch Historical State Park in Blaine, Wash., on March 5, 2025. Photo by JASON REDMOND/AFP via Getty Images

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Americans hold Canadians in high esteem. The reverse, not so much

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In a new poll, almost half of Canadians expressed a negative view of Americans, with 29 per cent choosing “unfavourable” and another 19 per cent “very unfavourable.” For their part, Americans were overwhelmingly upbeat about Canadians, with 39 per cent reporting very favourable views, and another 40 per cent choosing “favourable.”

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