SHOTGUN APPROACH — PIERRE POILIEVRE held a timely media avail at a pizza shop in West Vancouver Monday to drum up some anger about JUSTIN TRUDEAU launching an “outright crusade against pizza ovens” as Ottawa eyes up creating new reporting requirements for emissions from oven wood-fired ovens. He also wedged in a drive-by on the “expensive retreat of Liberal ministers who are coming together to pat themselves on the back and spend your money on luxury for themselves,” and fired off a few other shots that inserted him into daily news stories. — Singing the opposition tune: “Can you think of anything [Trudeau] hasn't screwed up?” — Something actually new: Rather than just observing that the Liberals are struggling to find solid, principled ground to stand on because their positioning is buckling under the weight of intense internal caucus divisions, Poilievre went a step further and accused the prime minister of intentionally taking confusing positions on the Israel-Hamas conflict. — Divide and conquer: “He gets a bloc of MPs to go out to mosques and say that Israel has committed a genocide, and then he gets another group of Liberal MPs to go to synagogues and say that it's totally outrageous to suggest that Israel has committed a genocide, and he sits in the middle of the two and gives incomprehensible statements.” "They're deliberately giving answers that no one can comprehend," he said. "He's divided the country on this just like every other issue." — Meanwhile in Montreal: Reporters pressed Foreign Minister MÉLANIE JOLY on Canada being criticized for not taking a clear position on the ICJ case against Israel. She channeled a little inner Chrétien: "You read my statement. My statement is my statement," Joly said. "The prime minister also gave his remarks last week. I have nothing else to add on that." “Canada’s unwavering support for international law and the ICJ does not mean we accept the premise of the case brought by South Africa,” Joly’s statement said. “We will follow the proceedings of South Africa’s case at the International Court of Justice very closely.” OH, THE PLACES HE'S BEEN — Poilievre has criss-crossed Canada since taking a Christmas break. We don't know where the Conservative leader and his family spent their holiday season, but he's not shy about sharing his hectic travel schedule after the fact. A scan of Poilievre's rallies and fundraisers reveals a clear trend. He's targeting potential swing ridings, some of which are competitive for the first time in many moons according to 338Canada's latest projection from PHILIPPE J. FOURNIER. The electoral map is a few months away from April's substantial once-a-decade redraw to reflect population growth, but this is the state of play during Poilievre's post-holiday sprint (along with the dates of his visits). → Prince Rupert, B.C. today: NDP MPs TAYLOR BACHRACH and NATHAN CULLEN have held Skeena-Bulkley Valley since 2004, but Fournier projects a likely Tory pickup. ELLIS ROSS, a sitting BC United MLA in the region, is the newly announced CPC candidate in the riding. → West Vancouver, B.C. on Monday: Liberal MP PATRICK WEILER eked out a 2021 reelection in West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, but Fournier also gives the current edge to the Tories (who are soon nominating a candidate). → Coquitlam, B.C. on Jan. 21: Neither of this city's MPs are Conservative, but Fournier projects a likely Conservative defeat of NDP MP BONITA ZARRILLO in Port Moody-Coquitlam — and a tough re-election bid next door for Liberal MP RON MCKINNON in Coquitlam-Port Coquitlam. → Scarborough, Ont. on Jan. 21: Most of the six seats in this east-end 416-area suburb are likely to remain Liberal, but Fournier suspects the weakest of them all is JEAN YIP's Scarborough-Agincourt riding. → Vaughan, Ont. on Jan. 20: The Tories hold two of three ridings in this expansive Toronto suburb, but Fournier sees trouble in Liberal MP FRANCESCO SORBARA's future in Vaughan-Woodbridge. → Mississauga, Ont. on Jan. 20: Fournier sees close races all over this sprawling city, where no Conservative has won since 2011. The strongest is Mississauga Centre, where OMAR ALGHABRA has said he won't run again. → Markham, Ont. on Jan. 20: If Trade Minister MARY NG's Markham-Thornhill seat is safe, she could be alone among her nearby caucus colleagues. Fournier sees two Tory wins at the expense of HELENA JACZEK's successor in Markham-Stouffville — no incumbency advantage there — and PAUL CHIANG in Markham-Unionville. → Quebec City, Que. on Jan. 15: The Tories want to retake Beauport-Limoilou, an east-end riding once held by Tory MP ALUPA CLARKE. Fournier projects a tight race with Bloc Québécois MP JULIE VIGNOLA. → Northern Ontario, Jan. 12-14: Poilievre tours the region on a regular basis because it's packed with potential pickups at the expense of TERRY SHEEHAN in Sault Ste. Marie, VIVIANE LAPOINTE in Sudbury and ANTHONY ROTA's successor in Nipissing-Timiskaming. Even NDP veteran CHARLIE ANGUS could, according to Fournier's numbers, go down to the wire in Timmins-James Bay. Fournier projects the two Thunder Bay Liberals could swing to the Tories. PATTY HAJDU faces a three-way fight in Thunder Bay-Superior North. MARCUS POWLOWSKI in Thunder Bay-Rainy River recently had three words for a Hill Times question: "Bring it on." → Winnipeg, Man. on Jan. 12: The only Liberal riding in danger of flipping is TERRY DUGUID's Winnipeg South, where Fournier sees yet another nail-biter.
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