Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre picked up some name recognition south of the border this week after a video of him chomping down on an apple while chiding a local journalist went viral.
While the video has attracted both praise and criticism online, ultimately it’s a win politically, said Alex Marland, a professor at Acadia University and author of the book Whipped: Party Discipline in Canada.
“This is worth lots of money in marketing dollars. Because it’s earned media. So it’s reaching a lot of people,” he said.
“Pierre Poilievre is somebody who likes getting into policy, he likes debating, he’s very quick off his feet, and all those things kind of come out in this case. So they’re playing to strengths.”
In a video posted by Poilievre that has been viewed more than 1.4 million times on social media platforms, Don Urquhart, editor of the Times Chronicle, gets into a terse exchange with the Conservative leader about populism and politics in Oliver, B.C.
How do you like them apples?<br><br>PART 1 <a href=”https://t.co/RkDBAn13nl”>pic.twitter.com/RkDBAn13nl</a>
“You’re obviously taking the populist pathway,” Urquhart says in the video.
“What does that mean?” Poilievre asks.
“Certainly you tap very strong ideological language quite frequently,” Urquhart says.
“Like what?” Poilievre asks.
“Left wing, you know, this and that, right wing,” Urquhart replies.
Poilievre responds that he “never really” talks about the left or right.
“I don’t really believe in that,” he says.
“A lot of people would say that you’re simply taking a page out of the Donald Trump book,” says Urquhart.
“A lot of people? Like which people would say that?” says Poilievre while biting into an apple.
Global attention
Fox News described the exchange as Poilievre “batting down [a] reporter’s questions,” while the Daily Mail described the exchange as the Conservative leader “calmly tearing apart a reporter.” A Sky News host in Australia commented that there “may be hope” for Canada.
“Can we get him in our country?” asked American TV journalist Megyn Kelly.
Elon Musk responded to the video online, writing that had “never heard of him before, but this interview is [fire emoji].”
The video has filled column space in Canadian outlets as well. Earlier this week, a National Post column suggested the “takedown is now being studied as an example of political jiu-jitsu worldwide.” The National Observer, meanwhile, said Poilievre “doesn’t have to behave like a petulant jackass.”
The Liberal Party published its own take on the clip, splicing in moments when Poilievre castigated the “radical left” in the House of Commons.
What Pierre Poilievre says: “I never really talk about left or right.”<br><br>What Pierre Poilievre does: <a href=”https://t.co/QTjjJWo4lB”>pic.twitter.com/QTjjJWo4lB</a>
“Can you say smug, arrogant, and condescending?” Liberal MP Ryan Turnbull posted on social media.
Video puts Poilievre ‘on the map’: DeLorey
Fred DeLorey, who served as the national campaign manager for the Conservative Party of Canada in 2021, said the unapologetic video put Poilievre “on the map” with conservatives.
“He is a darling of the right in many regards,” he said.
“As a conservative, a lot of times we feel we’re asked to apologize for being conservative and he just takes on these questions with a lot of strength.”
DeLorey, now a partner at NorthStar Public Affairs, said the exchange is unlikely to change the minds of those with entrenched views of Poilievre.
“Those who like him love the video. Those who don’t like him don’t like the video,” he said.
But he said he thinks it will play to those who are on the fence.
“He feels like a no-nonsense politician, which I think a lot of people are interested in right now,” he said. “It just shows that you can be a strong statesman.”
Marland said the video does carry some risk.
“It’s never a good thing for the Conservative Party of Canada to be associated with Fox News,” he said.
Marland said that what makes the video so appealing in part is how it feels authentic, even if Poilievre likely knew he was being recorded.
“We have to remember that in politics, everything is a performance. So there is nothing natural,” he said.
“Now, that being said, it was unscripted. In Canadian politics, we are so used to everybody being scripted, because everybody is so scared of getting in trouble.”
Context matters, expert says
Marland said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was able to win power in 2015 in part because he seemed very different from the “structured” Stephen Harper.
Now, the reverse seems to be happening, he said.
“[Poilievre] he was able to kind of handle himself off the cuff. And there’s a big appetite for that among the public,” he said.
Still, he cautioned viewers to remember the context of the video — filmed, packaged and pushed out by a political party.
“This is following a small-c conservative playbook, which is to use social media to, in many ways, avoid difficult media questions,” he said.
“They’re still the ones who are using social media to get this out there. Poilievre isn’t always available to the parliamentary press gallery.”
Both DeLorey and Marland said there’s a lesson there for journalists.
DeLorey said the whole scene could have gone down differently if the reporter had asked different questions or cited specific examples.
“Ultimately to me, what this video does is it really should put journalists on notice that the Conservatives are going to be paying attention to how they’re … treating Poilievre,” said Marland.
CBC reached out to Urquhart, who said he wasn’t able to comment.
Quebec legislature member Youri Chassin has announced he’s leaving the Coalition Avenir Québec government to sit as an Independent.
He announced the decision shortly after writing an open letter criticizing Premier François Legault’s government for abandoning its principles of smaller government.
In the letter published in Le Journal de Montréal and Le Journal de Québec, Chassin accused the party of falling back on what he called the old formula of throwing money at problems instead of looking to do things differently.
Chassin says public services are more fragile than ever, despite rising spending that pushed the province to a record $11-billion deficit projected in the last budget.
He is the second CAQ member to leave the party in a little more than one week, after economy and energy minister Pierre Fitzgibbon announced Sept. 4 he would leave because he lost motivation to do his job.
Chassin says he has no intention of joining another party and will instead sit as an Independent until the end of his term.
He has represented the Saint-Jérôme riding since the CAQ rose to power in 2018, but has not served in cabinet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
MONTREAL – NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he will not be taking advice from Pierre Poilievre after the Conservative leader challenged him to bring down government.
“I say directly to Pierre Poilievre: I’m not going to listen to you,” said Singh on Wednesday, accusing Poilievre of wanting to take away dental-care coverage from Canadians, among other things.
“I’m not going to listen to your advice. You want to destroy people’s lives, I want to build up a brighter future.”
Earlier in the day, Poilievre challenged Singh to commit to voting non-confidence in the government, saying his party will force a vote in the House of Commons “at the earliest possibly opportunity.”
“I’m asking Jagmeet Singh and the NDP to commit unequivocally before Monday’s byelections: will they vote non-confidence to bring down the costly coalition and trigger a carbon tax election, or will Jagmeet Singh sell out Canadians again?” Poilievre said.
“It’s put up or shut up time for the NDP.”
While Singh rejected the idea he would ever listen to Poilievre, he did not say how the NDP would vote on a non-confidence motion.
“I’ve said on any vote, we’re going to look at the vote and we’ll make our decision. I’m not going to say our decision ahead of time,” he said.
Singh’s top adviser said on Tuesday the NDP leader is not particularly eager to trigger an election, even as the Conservatives challenge him to do just that.
Anne McGrath, Singh’s principal secretary, says there will be more volatility in Parliament and the odds of an early election have risen.
“I don’t think he is anxious to launch one, or chomping at the bit to have one, but it can happen,” she said in an interview.
New Democrat MPs are in a second day of meetings in Montreal as they nail down a plan for how to navigate the minority Parliament this fall.
The caucus retreat comes one week after Singh announced the party has left the supply-and-confidence agreement with the governing Liberals.
It’s also taking place in the very city where New Democrats are hoping to pick up a seat on Monday, when voters go to the polls in Montreal’s LaSalle—Émard—Verdun. A second byelection is being held that day in the Winnipeg riding of Elmwood—Transcona, where the NDP is hoping to hold onto a seat the Conservatives are also vying for.
While New Democrats are seeking to distance themselves from the Liberals, they don’t appear ready to trigger a general election.
Singh signalled on Tuesday that he will have more to say Wednesday about the party’s strategy for the upcoming sitting.
He is hoping to convince Canadians that his party can defeat the federal Conservatives, who have been riding high in the polls over the last year.
Singh has attacked Poilievre as someone who would bring back Harper-style cuts to programs that Canadians rely on, including the national dental-care program that was part of the supply-and-confidence agreement.
The Canadian Press has asked Poilievre’s office whether the Conservative leader intends to keep the program in place, if he forms government after the next election.
With the return of Parliament just days away, the NDP is also keeping in mind how other parties will look to capitalize on the new makeup of the House of Commons.
The Bloc Québécois has already indicated that it’s written up a list of demands for the Liberals in exchange for support on votes.
The next federal election must take place by October 2025 at the latest.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante is defending her decision to turn off comments on her social media accounts — with an announcement on social media.
She posted screenshots to X this morning of vulgar names she’s been called on the platform, and says comments on her posts for months have been dominated by insults, to the point that she decided to block them.
Montreal’s Opposition leader and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association have criticized Plante for limiting freedom of expression by restricting comments on her X and Instagram accounts.
They say elected officials who use social media should be willing to hear from constituents on those platforms.
However, Plante says some people may believe there is a fundamental right to call someone offensive names and to normalize violence online, but she disagrees.
Her statement on X is closed to comments.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
