Despite losing the federal election, Pierre Poilievre brought the party its greatest electoral performance in decades and has generated a unique degree of energy and enthusiasm among supporters.

The collapse of Canada’s minor parties accounts for some of this volatility. The left-wing New Democratic Party fell from 18% of the vote to 6%. The right-wing People’s Party dropped from 5% to 1%. Yet changes in third-party votes are only faintly correlated to shifts in the margin between the big parties.

Pierre Poilievre lost the vote for a constituency he has held for 21 years to a Liberal political neophyte. His populist approach may have been to blame.