The Canadian government remained quiet on Friday after a New York court convicted Donald Trump as a criminal, despite repeated attempts by Liberals to draw comparisons between the former U.S. president and the leader of the Canadian Conservatives.

A Canadian polling organizer stated that the Liberals' maneuver may not be in the party's political favor, regardless of the ruling.

Trump, who was expected to lead the Republicans into the upcoming U.S. elections, was convicted on Thursday of all 34 counts in his criminal trial related to hush money.

The Prime Minister's Office stated that it had no comment on the ruling, while Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly merely indicated that Canada would work with whoever leads the United States after the upcoming fall elections.

Her office wrote in a statement on Friday, "The United States is not just our neighbor, but our closest friend and ally."

Our government has successfully worked with both Republican and Democratic administrations, and that will continue."

The silent response to the conviction contrasts with the ways in which the Liberals cited Trump in the House of Commons, in an attempt to draw comparisons with Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre and accuse him of what they describe as "American-style politics" and "Trumpian tactics."

The problem for the Liberals is that they do not enjoy much popularity among Canadians at the moment compared to Trump himself.

Abacus Data conducted a poll of 1,500 Canadians in January, who rated Trump three out of ten on a favorability scale.

This is compared to 3.5 for Trudeau, 4.9 for U.S. President Joe Biden, and 5.1 for Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre.

"That makes it a very challenging dynamic for the Liberals, as people dislike (Trudeau) as much as they dislike Trump."

Shepard stated that Trudeau does not have much to gain politically by commenting on the ruling against Trump, and it is likely he would gain even less if Trump returns to the White House.

Shepard added, "He really faces a tough battle in terms of playing this to his advantage."

Conservatives say that the Liberals are using comparisons between Poilievre and Trump to distract from the economic and housing issues facing Canadians, two matters that Shepard indicated have been used by Conservatives to rise in the polls.

Shepard noted that about 30 percent of individuals who indicated they intend to vote for the Conservatives say they did not vote for the Conservative Party in the last election.

Shepard continued that among Canadian participants who said in a recent poll they intend to vote for the Conservatives, about 30 percent indicated they did not vote for the Conservative Party in the last election.

He noted that the Liberals may try to shed this new support if they succeed in linking Poilievre to Trump.

Adding, "It's tough to connect the dots, but we've seen some impact on voting intentions."

However, Shepard stated that the Liberals may face more headwinds if Trump wins the elections.

"In a poll we conducted earlier this year, there is broad consensus that Poilievre would work better with Trump than Trudeau, and this is a fairly consistent result we've seen so far."

"If the Liberals really succeed in making a strong connection between Trump and Poilievre, it could end up hurting them in November."

Members of Parliament from all parties largely avoided publicly commenting on Thursday's ruling, although Liberal MP Anthony Housefather stated he hopes this will affect Trump's popularity.

He told reporters on Friday at Parliament Hill, "Donald Trump would be a disaster for the United States, a disaster for Canada, and a disaster for the world if he returns to office."

He added, "I hope the results of the trial in New York give Americans who were considering supporting Mr. Trump some second thoughts."

Liberal MP Mark Gerretsen posted a video on social media from the Tonight Show, which combined a clip of Trump with the tune, "I fought the law and the law won."

New Democratic Party MP Charlie Angus, who is not seeking re-election, posted the words "Guilty. Guilty. Guilty." on X, along with a link to a reggae tune called "Downpressor Man," about a tyrannical leader unable to overcome society's ills.