Afternoon front page: What is really happening with the Conservative ‘infighting’; Trump suggests punishment coming over Canada’s wildfires; and more

Conservative Party of Canada leader Pierre Poilievre speaks during question period in the House of Commons in Ottawa, June 3, 2026. Photo by Blair Gable/Postmedia

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It’s Tuesday, August 4. Here are the top stories we’re following today.

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Talk of Conservative ‘infighting’ misses the bigger story: the party is messily reinventing itself

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For one thing, with a populist message about driving out “gatekeepers” standing in the way of affordable housing, jobs and prosperity, leader Pierre Poilievre has yanked the Conservative party in a new direction, pulling in younger voters who want to disrupt the status quo rather than preserve it.

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U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One on Aug. 2, 2026. Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

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Donald Trump hints at Canada’s wildfire smoke punishment

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Trump was asked on Sunday if he has decided on a punishment for the wildfire smoke from Canada, and he replied: “I have, yeah. You’ll find out about it.” He did not elaborate on what this punishment might be, but he has previously threatened to impose further tariffs on Canada in response to smoke from wildfires in Northern Ontario.

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U.K. Conservative Party Leader Kemi Badenoch. Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images

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Why U.K. conservatives need to imitate Canada: Full Comment podcast

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Daniel Hannan, an independent member of the House of Lords, talks about why so many British prime ministers keep falling, and what the new Labour leader’s chances look like. He also tells why he thinks the Conservative and Reform parties need to learn an important lesson from Canada’s Conservative party to beat Labour.

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The Public Service Pay Centre in Miramichi, N.B. Photo by Postmedia archives

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Ottawa ‘rubber stamped’ raises for 336,188 bureaucrats, says Canadian Taxpayers Federation

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Numbers show that 78 per cent of federal workers received a pay raise in 2025, while fewer than one seventh of one per cent saw their wages drop. At the same time, nearly a third of government departments did not meet their performance targets, and 10 per cent had no data available on whether or not they did.

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The prime minister’s seat in the House of Commons in West Block on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on July 27, 2026. Photo by Blair Gable/Postmedia

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Kyle Seeback: It’s not Trumpian to hold the Liberal government to account

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“As a Conservative member of Parliament, I firmly reject Trump and Trumpism — not despite being a Conservative, but because I am one,” Seeback states. He adds that “Canadians deserve a serious debate about the Liberal government’s decisions and their consequences, not an attempt to discredit legitimate criticism by equating it with Trumpism.”

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