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The Conservatives had a mixed message in the 2015 campaign. They tried to reassure Canadians that they were the best stewards of the economy, but warned of all kinds of perils: the niqab, refugees and deficits. Too many people seemed fed up with the fear-mongering approach and wanted a more positive message.

The only party leader who was literally born in the seat of power, 24 Sussex Drive, who grew up in the public eye, ironically, became the leader of “Real Change.” Justin Trudeau was pitched as the underdog, underestimated and underappreciated, who became the little engine that could. He tapped most effectively into Canadians’ desire for change, and to feel good about themselves, with historic results. When expectations for the NDP were so high, our failure to convince Canadians we were the right agents of change was an epic disappointment.

Pollsters and pundits now tell us that one year after the election, most Canadians are still basking in the glow of a new day. They feel much better. We have accepted Syrian refugees, restored the long-form census and have a new middle-class tax cut. Canadians also have a prime minister they would love to take a selfie with, a PM who hugs, smiles, and calls himself a feminist.

Both main opposition parties are going through soul-searching leadership contests. But it is the NDP that is really suffering. Thrown back into its perennial third spot, despondent after its best chance ever to form government was thwarted, licking mostly self-inflicted wounds, it is stuck. Having told the old leader to leave, but allowing him to stay, has created a paralysis at time when the government’s sheen is ever so slightly wearing thin.