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Scheer is often compared to former Progressive Conservative leader Joe Clark who once quipped: “I’m not the greatest but I’m the best available.”

Photo by Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press

He has risen like a grey blur through Conservative ranks to take the top job and is still learning how to be comfortable speaking about himself.

On his tour around the country, he has hardly provoked hysteria – crowds have been modest and restrained. He often sounds like he’s giving grace at a Rotary luncheon when speaking from the teleprompter, though he is much better at informal gatherings in bars and halls where his geniality and wry sense of humour win through.

By contrast, Trudeau is a natural politician — he has grip-and-grin politics “stored like muscle memory in the tissue”, in the words of former Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff. Comparatively, it’s a tin whistle versus a trumpet.

But the Conservative advertising campaign — that Trudeau is “just not as advertised” — has been vindicated by the Liberal leader’s own behaviour. He has tried the patience of people who once supported him, time and time again. If they are not yet angry at him, they are disappointed.

American public opinion guru, Frank Luntz, once said the voters would rather vote for someone who they trust than someone they agree with. “Being a straight shooter is important. The keys are consistency and stability,” he said.