In less than two weeks the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) will elect a new leader, and it is likely that person will be Pierre Poilievre. A poll taken in early August found that Poilievre had the support of 44 per cent of his party to be their next leader, while his closest rival Jean Charest polled at a mere 17 per cent.
Poilievre’s style as a politician over the course of his career has been one of a conservative attack dog. His campaign to become the next leader of the CPC has been particularly toxic due to his attempts to use disgraced former U.S. president Donald Trump as an example to follow.
During the course of his leadership campaign, Poilievre has stepped up his personal attacks on not only his political opponents, but like Trump, has chosen the media as a fertile field from which he can farm the outrage of his supporters.
Also like Trump, he has made efforts to connect his campaign with far-right extremists. Most recently, he had been photographed with Jeremy MacKenzie, the de facto leader of the Diagolon cult. MacKenzie has gone on social media calling for the execution of Canadian Armed Forces personnel. He has encouraged his followers to harass health care professionals, and is facing assault and weapons charges in Sask., and weapons charges in N.S. in an unrelated case as well.
After the photo of MacKenzie shaking hands with Poilievre began circulating on social media, he refused to denounce MacKenzie or Diagolon by name instead stating: “As I always have, I denounce racism and anyone who spreads it,” then deflecting by pointing to what he called “. . .Justin Trudeau’s many racist outbursts . . .”
A ‘clear and present danger to the country’
Poilievre’s attacks on the media and his refusal to distance himself from violent extremists like MacKenzie has drawn concern from organizations dedicated to fighting hate in Canada.
Bernie Farber, chair of the Canadian AntiHate Network stated he believed that Poilievre was a danger to the country.
“We try not to get into critiques on politics per se, but on issues and policy of hate,” Faber said in an interview with rabble.ca. “I’m taking a bit of a different track with Mr. Poilievre. Only because of his clear associations with the hard right, that I find a really clear and present danger to the country right now. That’s why we’re having a discussion.”
Farber pointed to Poilievre’s refusal to outright reject and denounce MacKenzie as dangerous and damning.
“Is this somebody that a future leader of the opposition and a potential prime minister wants to be seen having common cause with? I ask the question rhetorically, obviously he does,” Farber said. “I mean, he’s not chosen at this point to in any way discredit him or say ‘I will have nothing to do with him’ and you’re left to make your own conclusions. You have no choice because this is important.”
The Canadian AntiHate Network analyzes movements in Canada like Diagolon, and Farber explains that extremists like MacKenzie see politicians like Poilievre as their ticket to legitimacy.
“I think Poilievre is seen by Mackenzie as their path into the political mainstream of Canada,” he said. “It wouldn’t at all surprise me if they believe that Poilievre embraces their views, or at least embraces some of their views.”
Using hate as a political tool
Not only has Poilievre refused to distance himself from violent extremists, he has also been happy to use them as a political tool to support his campaign and attack his opponents.
After Poilievre chose to march alongside James Topp the day before Canada Day, he was questioned by Global News journalist Rachel Gilmore about Topp’s association with Diagolon.
Instead of answering Gilmore’s question, he tapped into the rage and the hate from the Diagolon movement to publicly attack Gilmore, an attack that has led to Gilmore facing death threats, and other alleged threats of violence and harassment against her and her family.
No wonder trust in the media is at an all-time low.
One of Global News’ so-called journalists decided to smear me & thousands of other Canadians because we criticized the federal government’s unscientific & discriminatory vaccine mandates.
My campaign’s response to this attack. pic.twitter.com/P1W4PTcswR— Pierre Poilievre (@PierrePoilievre) July 7, 2022
Following the statement that was released by Poilievre, Gilmore and other female journalists saw an increase in harassing and threatening communications both on social media and in other digital spaces.
The Coalition for Women in Journalism (CWIJ) stated that Gilmore began receiving harassing communications the moment the statement went up.
This threat, which was emailed to Saba and mentions @wickdchiq and me, suggests some hateful people have put together a “wall” with pictures of journalists they dislike.
They rated who needs to be “silenced first.”
Guys, I’m starting to think Canada miiiight have a problem! https://t.co/U5c7jjx5Pm
— Rachel Gilmore (@atRachelGilmore) August 4, 2022
Making it about himself
In late August, Canada’s Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was verbally assaulted during a visit to her home province of Alberta.
While visiting a hospital, far-right wing conspiracy believer Elliott McDavid hurled insults at Freeland, who appeared to be without her security at the time.
Politicians throughout the country expressed their condemnation over the abuse that Freeland suffered, including members of Poilievres own party such as Jean Charest, Patrick Brown and Michel Rempel Gardner.
When asked, Poilievre, without ever even mentioning the Deputy Premier, briefly said it was “completely unacceptable,” before spending the next 20 seconds of his answer talking about himself and the abuse he and his wife have received on the campaign trail.
“I can relate, of course, because I’ve been the subject of so much online harassment and abuse,” Polievre said. He added that his wife had received harassing messages and threats to her social media accounts and that his family has hired private security for protection.
Journalists, of course, do not always have access to the resources necessary for protection. Gilmore herself has openly shared on social media the difficulties she has faced in reporting threats against her to police forces.
“We have to put an end to it and demand that everybody treat other Canadians with respect when we debate political ideas,” he added.
Demand for more protections for journalists
In the wake of the attacks on Gilmore, Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) president Brent Jolly characterized Poilievre’s behaviour as an attack on Canadian democracy.
“The fact that this kind of behaviour is being pushed out by someone running to be the leader of a major Canadian political party should send a shiver down the spine of Canadians concerned about the future of democracy in this country,” Jolly said.
The CAJ and dozens of Canadian media organizations sent an open letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau warning of rising instances of harassment to journalists and called for more protections for those working in the industry.
Specifically they asked the Prime Minister to:
- a process be established whereby media organizations can provide police with summaries of multiple incidents and patterns of abuse that might not be apparent when police rely solely on the reports of individual complainants;
- police provide regular updates to complainants on the progress of investigations and actions taken; and,
- to both help police and reduce the burden on complainants, media organizations be given a formal role in filing complaints on behalf of or with journalists who have become targets of hate and harassment.
In an address to the people of the United States on Thursday, September 1, President Joe Biden said that there is no place for political violence in America. That same statement is true for Canada. There is no place for violence in our politics and those who seek to make their political fortunes from it must be rejected.
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Nick Seebruch, editor
