Leadership questions will distract Canada's opposition

Significance

Canada's main opposition parties -- the Conservatives and the NDP -- are entering a period of reconstruction and reinvention in the wake of October's election victory by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberal Party, with implications for the government's political room for manoeuvre.

Impacts

• Federal-provincial gridlock and economic concerns from the oil downturn will hinder Canadian climate policy-making.
• Should poor economic conditions persist despite the government's stimulus programme, the Conservatives could strengthen as a result.
• National-level scepticism of free trade in many countries will sap momentum in international negotiations, such as for TTIP.