Analysis-Shift to the right may cost Canada's Conservatives amid anti-vaccine protests

FILE PHOTO: Truckers and supporters attend a demonstration near Parliament Hill as they continue to protest against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine mandates, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada January 31, 2022. REUTERS/Blair Gable/File Photo

OTTAWA (Reuters) - A dayslong protest in Canada's capital is unlikely to succeed in its objective of repealing vaccine mandates, but could pull an already troubled Conservative opposition even further to the right, eroding its chances of winning power.

The Conservatives, who lost their third consecutive election to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberals last year, are torn between leaning towards populism or moderating policies to attract the centrist voters who will decide the next election, which could occur within two years.