Maxime Bernier

Ill-advised costume changes, a high-stakes pipeline purchase, populist politics, a presidential Twitter tirade, and more from a packed political year

Before we tell you what’s likely to happen in the new year, here are some things that probably won’t.

Andrew MacDougall: Bernier is clearly casting about for votes on the right fringe of politics, and pledge or not, in that direction embarrassment lies

Is it going to be that government’s too big, Canadian values are besieged, or that elitist politicians are out-of-touch? No option looks promising.

Opinion: Monte Solberg, a longtime Conservative MP who also served for the Reform Party, saw firsthand why Bernier’s plans for a new party are doomed

Terry Glavin: Bernier was going to have to be defenestrated sooner or later. He has now done Scheer the favour of jumping out the window, all by himself.

Stephen Maher: Bernier is unlikely to lead a party that seeks to govern, but many conservatives will find his ideas and his sales pitch refreshing

John Geddes: The Tory leader’s formative years, and the exiting MP’s rise to prominence, foreshadowed today’s acrimonious split

Jen Gerson: There are no special rights for people whose families have been here longer, or have white skin. Every citizen has a say when it comes to shared values—and a vote at election time

Scott Gilmore: The leader of Canada’s newest political party is well placed to at least outperform the Greens. And he might do even better than that.