Pierre Poilievre is the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, and the CBC has described him as “a 21st-century populist who thinks his moment has arrived”. As leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, Pierre is a Harper Conservative, following the political ideology of Stephen Harper, the former Canadian prime minister.
Unfortunately, Harper’s Ideologies aren’t favoured by many Canadians as they have been criticized for opposing multiculturalism and immigration and disregarding environmental and social issues.
Therefore, Harper Conservatives have been criticized by many as “authoritarian, undemocratic, out of touch, and racist.” This criticism also rubs off on Pierre Poilievre, as many question his policy on social issues, especially racism against black Canadians.
Controversial Remarks and Action of Pierre Poilievre
For now, Poilievre has not explicitly stated his policy on racism against Black Canadians since no source conveys such information. Nevertheless, the Conservative Leader has made controversial remarks and actions on related issues.
Opposed Recognizing Systemic Racism in the RCMP
Pierre Poilievre previously opposed the motion to recognize systemic racism in the RCMP and called it a “smear” against the police in June 2020, when he was the Conservative finance critic. He said the motion, which the NDP introduced, was “an attack on the brave men and women in uniform who keep us safe.”
Poilievre further argued that there was no evidence of systemic racism in the RCMP and that the term was vague and undefined. According to Pierre, “systemic racism means that the entire system is racist, that the people who built the system are racist, that the people who operate the system are racist, and that the outcomes of the system are racist.”
Nevertheless, his opposition to the motion was criticized by many, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who said that systemic racism was an issue in all institutions, including the RCMP.
Trudeau argued that systemic racism does not mean that individuals are intentionally racist but that the systems they operate in have biases that affect racialized people disproportionately.
Introducing the Fair Elections Act
Another example linking Pierre Poilievre to controversy is when he introduced the Fair Elections Act in February 2014, when he was the Minister of Democratic Reform.
The act was controversial because it made several changes to the Canada Elections Act and other acts related to federal elections in Canada. One of the changes was to eliminate the use of vouching and Voter Information Cards as a form of ID. Poilievre claimed that these forms of ID were prone to fraud and abuse and undermined the integrity of the electoral system.
Pierre Poilievre argued in favour of the Fair Elections Act that “vouching is a broken system that is wide open to fraud” and that “Voter Information Cards are not a reliable form of identification.” He also argued that there were 39 other acceptable forms of ID that electors could use to prove their identity and address and that most Canadians had access to them.
However, many critics and experts disagreed with Poilievre‘s claims and opposed the elimination of vouching and Voter Information Cards. They argued that these forms of ID were necessary for some groups of electors who faced barriers to obtaining other forms of ID.
These groups mainly include students, seniors, homeless people, people with disabilities, and Canada’s black population. One member of the Canadian Federation of Students, Maude Barlow, commented against the notion, saying, “…this is just a way of blocking all sorts of people — the ones least likely to vote for the Harper government.”
These examples, alongside others, make it complicated to determine Pierre Poilievre’s policy on Racism, especially towards Canada’s black community. However, it’s also worth mentioning that Poilievre was quick to reject someone strictly for their racist views.
Using ‘Racist’ Thin Blue Line in Commemoration
Pierre Poilievre got into another controversy in March 2023 over the use of the thin blue line symbol in his social media post to commemorate two Edmonton police officers who were killed that week.
It’s worth mentioning the thin blue line is a symbol that is supposed to show support for the police or honour fallen officers. However, it’s been banned since it’s associated with white supremacy, racism, and fascism, especially since the Black Lives Matter movement.
Most people on Twitter criticized Poilievre for politicizing the tragedy and using a divisive and offensive symbol. The Canadian Anti-Hate Network also stated that it often encounters the thin blue line and ‘back the blue’ symbols on social media pages used by hate groups.
Despite the backlash, Poilievre has not responded to the accusations or explained his reason for choosing the symbol.
Pierre Has Denounced a Racist and Their Views
Recently, Pierre Poilievre distanced himself and his political party from the racist and hateful views of German politician Christine Anderson. She was on a cross-Canada tour and chose to have dinner with three conservative Members of Parliament (MP) – Niagara West MP Dean Allison, Oshawa MP Colin Carrie, and Haldimand–Norfolk MP Leslyn Lewis.
Shortly afterwards, photos emerged online showing Anderson at a group dinner along with these three Canadian MPs. The meeting was condemned on X, formerly Twitter, by the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, commenting on their concerns about communicating with Christine Anderson.
It’s worth noting that Christine Anderson is a member of a far-right party in Germany called Alternative for Germany (AfD). This political group is known for having extreme racist, anti-Muslim, and anti-immigration perspectives.
Ultimately, Christine Anderson is at the centre of several controversies, and Canadians were upset at her arrival in Canada and having dinner with three Members of Parliament.
Upon noticing the backlash, conservative leader Pierre Poilievre quickly distances himself and the party from Anderson. A statement from Poilievre, issued by the director of media relations, condemned Anderson and her views.
It stated, “Christine Anderson’s views are vile and have no place in our politics. The MPs were unaware of this visiting Member of the European Parliament’s opinions and regretted meeting with her. “
He continues, “Frankly, it would be better if Anderson never visited Canada in the first place. She and her racist, hateful views are not welcome here.”
Pierre Poilievre further comments that they were unaware of Anderson’s views, mentioning that such knowledge would have deterred them from meeting. According to his statement,”…we do not share or endorse her views and strongly condemn any views that are racist and harmful”.
Harper Conservatives have faced criticism for allegedly having authoritarian, undemocratic, out-of-touch, and racist views. As the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, Pierre Poilievre is no exception to this scrutiny.
While he has been at the centre of several controversies, there is no definite indication of Poilievre’s policy on racism against Canada’s Black community. He refused to recognize systemic racism in the RCMP, used a ‘racist’ symbol, and introduced the Fair Elections Act in 2014.
At the same time, he has also denounced racism, with a grand example being him distancing himself from German politician Christine Anderson and her racist views. Pierre also denounced the “White replacement theory” in 2022, which was thought to motivate the shooting at Buffalo, N.Y.
Ultimately, the debate on Pierre Poilievre’s policy on Racism is still debatable, but for now, there’s insufficient evidence to say he’s against Black people in Canada.
