Even among politicians, Pierre Poilievre is viewed as sketchy. There is a widespread belief that he takes his approach from Donald Trump – a troubled man who is particularly loose with the truth.
The rise of a tame right-wing populist shows why our Canadian democracy must remain strong – and why the world should take notes from Ottawa.
A man in a black T-shirt speaking into a handheld microphone in front of a crowd, Poilievre speaks at a protest against a federal carbon tax increase. His name-calling, while offering little to no solutions, and opposing everything the government and other opposition parties support, has Trump all over it, reeking of ambition.
Understanding Poilievre isn’t just of interest to Canadians. There are reasons that his brand of populism is less virulent than what’s cropped up in many other democracies. Make no mistake, it still holds important lessons for safeguarding democracy around the world.
Poilievre is certainly a populist. A right-wing operative and politician since he was a teenager, he rocketed to the top of the Conservative Party hierarchy after emerging as the most vocal champion of the 2022 Ottawa occupation. The uprising, which began against pandemic restrictions but swiftly became a broader far-right movement, was quite unpopular nationally. But inside the Conservative Party, there was enough support for its “pro-freedom” message that Poilievre rode his pro-convoy stance to victory in the party’s subsequent leadership election.
Condemnation or approbation belongs to politics and political campaigns. Diagnoses belong to psychiatrists and clinicians once they become biographers who trace the life histories of their subjects. What happens next in Canada belongs to each one of us.
William Perry
Victoria
