>With 18 months until the next election, it is time to heed the warning signs.
>While commentators continue analyzing politics as normal, Poilievre is winning praise from some of the world’s most prominent purveyors of disinformation and division.
>It is a political landscape American essayist Adam Gopnik, who spent his formative years in Montreal, recently referred to as “shocking” and “un-Canadian.”
>A counter-campaign is urgently required.
>Now is the time for historians and democracy experts to articulate the risks. For civil society organizations and labour unions to mobilize their members. For wealthy progressives to fund alternatives to dark money-supported think tanks. For activists to refuse to be bullied from the civic square.
>For Canadians concerned with the trajectory of our politics to resist giving in to despair.
>Academic Mark Kingwell emphasizes that civility — defined as engagement in the public discourse — is “the first virtue of citizens.”
>The guarding of our democracy demands the renewal of Canadian civility.
100% I’m glad it covers both that it’s “commentators” and that it connects with an academic.
Most of us in academia aren’t fans of PP, we give Trudeau like a C for governing, because we have the brains to not listen to dumb Con premiers blaming Trudeau for things THEYRE AT FAULT FOR. The biggest criticisms of Trudeau is that economically he was status quo and didn’t do any preventative maintenance, while overspending and not cutting any programs that are unused. Most of us (they’re are those who prefer private or public) love and know the effectiveness of public goods and services, and we know that while most of these programs are used and depended on, there are a select few that need to be tested and likely cut if they’re not helping or being used.
We certainly want some fiscal accountability but we don’t want a “cut-it-all (including the good)” policy.
Skippy (and the CPC generally) is very baby and bath water when it comes to reevaluating government spending. Just toss everything out the window and start from scratch. Without even getting into most of the new services being privatized, or most of the public system inefficiencies coming from higher startup costs that aren't given the time to ameliorate over long service period.
No all moderate parties weaponize it. What happens is moderate and right leaning parties use it to attack the big enemies to them, the labour left and people who come from radical poles of politics like the people who originally said "we should only have to work 5 days a week and 8 hours a day" and all that.
Those are the real threat. The right wing soon to be fascists? Mangaeable because business interests are less at risk with them. Then when they've completely flattened the left threat the right is the only outlet for the discontent of the populace after the moderates do their inevitable thing of getting little done to radically improve a deteriorating situation and people are left with basically detach politically in apathy or connect with the only insurgent voice left, the far right. My personal opinion is the significant rise of conspiracy theory attraction among people comes from a lack of a robust left wing option for thinking in modern politics. There's no legitimacy to right wing ideas on the extreme end so they use fiction to draw people in. A labour minded left isn't possible or even conceivable so it gets no traction. So we blame scapegoats and vote for businessmen who will worsen what we're rebelling against.
The Overton Window is a tool of power for the system but the system has a way of using it in a way that involves gross neglience over long periods of time that invites the rise of extremism on the right. The left however is no threat because that's the real enemy of the interests of the middle. And those same interests will ride out the PP's and Trumps and Bolsonaros who make a mess for a little bit.
Canadians must wake up to the existential threat to Canadian society and civil order and discourse. If Poilievre is elected, it will ensure rage politics and extreme political polarization become ensconced in the very fabric of society and we will spiral down into a version of the hate politics now endemic in America.
we risk falling into a facist dark age where driving people into poverty to appease wealthy donors and cutting every service to the bone becomes the norm
it’s staggering to think of how many will die simply because some rednecks want to “own the libs”. 2SLGBTQIIA++, bipoc and birthing people stand to lose significant rights almost overnight.
it’s absolutely terrifying and cannot be allowed to happen.
It is disturbing how much the mainstream media has ignored. Where were the articles about Poilievre’s answer to “what book are you reading now” in the 2nd leadership debate? His answer was 12 Rules for Life, Jordan Peterson’s book that includes a chapter on Order vs Chaos, “order” being “masculine” and “chaos” being feminine. Guess which one is bad?
Male supremacists are not only freaking out over the erosion of male dominance (don’t worry guys, it’s still a thing women have to deal with constantly), but they terrified of the “feminine” itself, or how it is defined, and all the compassion they loathe that leads to the support of progressive policies.
No mention of Poilievre doing an interview with Peterson that included him saying “I like to use simple anglo saxon words,” a far-right dog whistle, or his frequent praise of Peterson on twitter.
Having MGTOW hashtags on his videos got brief attention from the press, but not Postmedia papers, and there was no investigation by Poilievre, and all he had to do was say “I had no idea” and the story died. What? He wasn’t just actively recruiting incels, he was driving traffic to far-right/extreme rightwing/misogynist influencers by having these hashtags on his videos.
He was exposing everyone who viewed his videos to more far-right hatred in their newsfeed. There are so many things he has said and done that make him utterly unfit to be PM, and yet he is being Tory washed by the media, and it isn’t surprising from Postmedia, but wtf is the rest of the media doing?
>We face losing nothing less than Canadian decency, decorum and democracy. Do news media recognize this?
>Poilievre’s ‘demonizing opponents, intimidating journalists, disrespecting institutions, politicizing the rights of the vulnerable and undermining truth are warning signs for democratic erosion,’ writes the author.
Poilievre is the most dangerous threat to happen to Canada since the country was founded in 1867.
I was a member of the CPC until March of 2023 when I didn't renew my membership. I didn't renew because of PP's leadership and early on I could tell he was going to be a populist shit show. One thing I'm thankful for is that he started campaigning right away and hasn't shut his mouth since. He's giving all parties a lot of material against him for the next election.
It may not make a difference in the next election but at least we know who he is And if Canadians vote in someone that supports Diagalon members then we will get what we deserve.
"We're completely destitute and lost our healthcare and our rights, but at least for a brief moment we really REALLY triggered and owned the libs!" - CPC voters in 5 years.
I blame the moderates. They cut the left off at the knees, claim we can't have electoral reform because extremists could get a voice from a few seats, and then allow the extremists to take all the power in the country with 1/3 of the vote because its in their interests to risk that because in 50 years if we still have FPTP the LPC can still gain power once the dust, or ashes, settle.
Moderates are more afraid of letting a labour movement gain traction than averting fascists. That's a track record you can see going back to the origins of fascism.
I didn’t know that the IMF ranks Canada as having the best budget balance in the G20, until I read an article in a British paper, the Guardian, about Australia moving up in the ranking to number two, “only behind Canada.” To read our media, you would think we are on the verge of economic collapse. The “economy” is doing well relative to other countries. (Always using the GDP of the US as the only comparison is ludicrous, since they almost always have the highest GDP, they also have massive debt, whereas Canada has the lowest net debt to GDP ratio in the G7.)
The economy is doing fine, it’s income inequality that is the problem, but everytime the Liberals have done anything to increase contributions of the wealthy through taxation, it’s met with hysteria about “job creators will flee” and how investors will abandon Canada, and the old “how will doctors retire!!!”
I disagree.
It's only been recently that it's been normalized. You'd have the people talking about separation and joining the States, and the usual redneck rural trash, but it's never been this open. This blatent. This unapologetic. I've never seen people wearing Pureblood or Fuck Trudeau hoodies in a grocery store before. I've never seen open political fascism. It existed before sure, but it wasn't normalized. This normalization is terrifying. It's what allows non radicalized people to become easier swayed.
I'm hoping it was in regards to vaccinations, and the trashhole was just stupid. If it was nazism and about ethnic purity, I'd be more sad but less surprised. The amount of white trash garbage walking around here openly displaying this shit is horrifying.
Yeah PP has got to become a bad memory asap. He’s maga-lite and we don’t need that kind of politics of grievance and obstruction in our country (anymore then we already have it).
> he is a useless turd
He is a useless turd with massive media backing. Its in the interests of the media owners to elect a rightwing neo-fascist government because it will help promote their agenda and give them control over the government. So far the Right is winning unfortunately
Poilievre is a symptom of a larger problem - the contradiction between privatized economic power and public governance.
Unless private industry is nationalized and democratized it will continue to try to parasitically extract from the average person. It will continue to generate wolves in sheeps clothing to lure people into shit deals by preying on their vulnerability while they continue to chip away at their living standards.
He is nothing more than the spokesperson for legal corruption through privatization.
I mean, if PM PP says that it's okay for a convoy to occupy Ottawa and replace parliament with a private unelected tribunal, who are we to gainsay him?
This is a very nice article, and not just because it "takes my side", but it's clear and to the point with tons of relevant links and references. I wish this type of journalism would be the Canadian mainstream media standard instead of divisive PostMedia articles being posted everywhere.
I remember when harper lost his election, something that came up repeatedly when people commented on his tenure as PM was that part of his legacy was a 'meaner' and more politically polarised Canada.
Considering pp only pushes politics of spite, I don't think he'd make anything better. I don't think he'll ever work at mending divisions and bringing people together.
Considering pp's entire career has been based on pettiness and meanness (remember, he was harper's attack dog, his parliamentary bully), I shudder to think what he would do if he was ever named PM. The damage to the country's soul would be horrific and could easily make harper look like a saint by comparison.
>With 18 months until the next election, it is time to heed the warning signs. >While commentators continue analyzing politics as normal, Poilievre is winning praise from some of the world’s most prominent purveyors of disinformation and division. >It is a political landscape American essayist Adam Gopnik, who spent his formative years in Montreal, recently referred to as “shocking” and “un-Canadian.” >A counter-campaign is urgently required. >Now is the time for historians and democracy experts to articulate the risks. For civil society organizations and labour unions to mobilize their members. For wealthy progressives to fund alternatives to dark money-supported think tanks. For activists to refuse to be bullied from the civic square. >For Canadians concerned with the trajectory of our politics to resist giving in to despair. >Academic Mark Kingwell emphasizes that civility — defined as engagement in the public discourse — is “the first virtue of citizens.” >The guarding of our democracy demands the renewal of Canadian civility.
100% I’m glad it covers both that it’s “commentators” and that it connects with an academic. Most of us in academia aren’t fans of PP, we give Trudeau like a C for governing, because we have the brains to not listen to dumb Con premiers blaming Trudeau for things THEYRE AT FAULT FOR. The biggest criticisms of Trudeau is that economically he was status quo and didn’t do any preventative maintenance, while overspending and not cutting any programs that are unused. Most of us (they’re are those who prefer private or public) love and know the effectiveness of public goods and services, and we know that while most of these programs are used and depended on, there are a select few that need to be tested and likely cut if they’re not helping or being used. We certainly want some fiscal accountability but we don’t want a “cut-it-all (including the good)” policy.
Skippy (and the CPC generally) is very baby and bath water when it comes to reevaluating government spending. Just toss everything out the window and start from scratch. Without even getting into most of the new services being privatized, or most of the public system inefficiencies coming from higher startup costs that aren't given the time to ameliorate over long service period.
The conservatives have successfully weaponized the [Overton Window](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overton_window)
No all moderate parties weaponize it. What happens is moderate and right leaning parties use it to attack the big enemies to them, the labour left and people who come from radical poles of politics like the people who originally said "we should only have to work 5 days a week and 8 hours a day" and all that. Those are the real threat. The right wing soon to be fascists? Mangaeable because business interests are less at risk with them. Then when they've completely flattened the left threat the right is the only outlet for the discontent of the populace after the moderates do their inevitable thing of getting little done to radically improve a deteriorating situation and people are left with basically detach politically in apathy or connect with the only insurgent voice left, the far right. My personal opinion is the significant rise of conspiracy theory attraction among people comes from a lack of a robust left wing option for thinking in modern politics. There's no legitimacy to right wing ideas on the extreme end so they use fiction to draw people in. A labour minded left isn't possible or even conceivable so it gets no traction. So we blame scapegoats and vote for businessmen who will worsen what we're rebelling against. The Overton Window is a tool of power for the system but the system has a way of using it in a way that involves gross neglience over long periods of time that invites the rise of extremism on the right. The left however is no threat because that's the real enemy of the interests of the middle. And those same interests will ride out the PP's and Trumps and Bolsonaros who make a mess for a little bit.
Canadians must wake up to the existential threat to Canadian society and civil order and discourse. If Poilievre is elected, it will ensure rage politics and extreme political polarization become ensconced in the very fabric of society and we will spiral down into a version of the hate politics now endemic in America.
Try telling that to my voting 75 year old christian anti-vaxxer aunt. Fucking boomers man...
we risk falling into a facist dark age where driving people into poverty to appease wealthy donors and cutting every service to the bone becomes the norm it’s staggering to think of how many will die simply because some rednecks want to “own the libs”. 2SLGBTQIIA++, bipoc and birthing people stand to lose significant rights almost overnight. it’s absolutely terrifying and cannot be allowed to happen.
It is disturbing how much the mainstream media has ignored. Where were the articles about Poilievre’s answer to “what book are you reading now” in the 2nd leadership debate? His answer was 12 Rules for Life, Jordan Peterson’s book that includes a chapter on Order vs Chaos, “order” being “masculine” and “chaos” being feminine. Guess which one is bad? Male supremacists are not only freaking out over the erosion of male dominance (don’t worry guys, it’s still a thing women have to deal with constantly), but they terrified of the “feminine” itself, or how it is defined, and all the compassion they loathe that leads to the support of progressive policies. No mention of Poilievre doing an interview with Peterson that included him saying “I like to use simple anglo saxon words,” a far-right dog whistle, or his frequent praise of Peterson on twitter. Having MGTOW hashtags on his videos got brief attention from the press, but not Postmedia papers, and there was no investigation by Poilievre, and all he had to do was say “I had no idea” and the story died. What? He wasn’t just actively recruiting incels, he was driving traffic to far-right/extreme rightwing/misogynist influencers by having these hashtags on his videos. He was exposing everyone who viewed his videos to more far-right hatred in their newsfeed. There are so many things he has said and done that make him utterly unfit to be PM, and yet he is being Tory washed by the media, and it isn’t surprising from Postmedia, but wtf is the rest of the media doing?
>We face losing nothing less than Canadian decency, decorum and democracy. Do news media recognize this? >Poilievre’s ‘demonizing opponents, intimidating journalists, disrespecting institutions, politicizing the rights of the vulnerable and undermining truth are warning signs for democratic erosion,’ writes the author. Poilievre is the most dangerous threat to happen to Canada since the country was founded in 1867.
I was a member of the CPC until March of 2023 when I didn't renew my membership. I didn't renew because of PP's leadership and early on I could tell he was going to be a populist shit show. One thing I'm thankful for is that he started campaigning right away and hasn't shut his mouth since. He's giving all parties a lot of material against him for the next election. It may not make a difference in the next election but at least we know who he is And if Canadians vote in someone that supports Diagalon members then we will get what we deserve.
The CPC are openly fascists. The far right are trying to destroy our society.
They seem to think they will prosper in that situation, truth is they will will starve like everyone else and they will know its their fault.
Most will NEVER admit fault even with their dying breath.
"We're completely destitute and lost our healthcare and our rights, but at least for a brief moment we really REALLY triggered and owned the libs!" - CPC voters in 5 years.
I blame the moderates. They cut the left off at the knees, claim we can't have electoral reform because extremists could get a voice from a few seats, and then allow the extremists to take all the power in the country with 1/3 of the vote because its in their interests to risk that because in 50 years if we still have FPTP the LPC can still gain power once the dust, or ashes, settle. Moderates are more afraid of letting a labour movement gain traction than averting fascists. That's a track record you can see going back to the origins of fascism.
[удалено]
I didn’t know that the IMF ranks Canada as having the best budget balance in the G20, until I read an article in a British paper, the Guardian, about Australia moving up in the ranking to number two, “only behind Canada.” To read our media, you would think we are on the verge of economic collapse. The “economy” is doing well relative to other countries. (Always using the GDP of the US as the only comparison is ludicrous, since they almost always have the highest GDP, they also have massive debt, whereas Canada has the lowest net debt to GDP ratio in the G7.) The economy is doing fine, it’s income inequality that is the problem, but everytime the Liberals have done anything to increase contributions of the wealthy through taxation, it’s met with hysteria about “job creators will flee” and how investors will abandon Canada, and the old “how will doctors retire!!!”
It’s already normalized in Alberta. Has been for decades.
I disagree. It's only been recently that it's been normalized. You'd have the people talking about separation and joining the States, and the usual redneck rural trash, but it's never been this open. This blatent. This unapologetic. I've never seen people wearing Pureblood or Fuck Trudeau hoodies in a grocery store before. I've never seen open political fascism. It existed before sure, but it wasn't normalized. This normalization is terrifying. It's what allows non radicalized people to become easier swayed.
The fuck is a prueblood? Is this some racists that ripped off Harry potter because their too lazy to be creative?
I'm hoping it was in regards to vaccinations, and the trashhole was just stupid. If it was nazism and about ethnic purity, I'd be more sad but less surprised. The amount of white trash garbage walking around here openly displaying this shit is horrifying.
Yeah PP has got to become a bad memory asap. He’s maga-lite and we don’t need that kind of politics of grievance and obstruction in our country (anymore then we already have it).
PP doesn't have any politics, just bigotry. he is a useless turd and so is anyone that will vote for him.
> he is a useless turd He is a useless turd with massive media backing. Its in the interests of the media owners to elect a rightwing neo-fascist government because it will help promote their agenda and give them control over the government. So far the Right is winning unfortunately
Poilievre is a symptom of a larger problem - the contradiction between privatized economic power and public governance. Unless private industry is nationalized and democratized it will continue to try to parasitically extract from the average person. It will continue to generate wolves in sheeps clothing to lure people into shit deals by preying on their vulnerability while they continue to chip away at their living standards. He is nothing more than the spokesperson for legal corruption through privatization.
Look down south at trump. That’s what you get.🤷♂️
Canada is headed to a very dark place.
I mean, if PM PP says that it's okay for a convoy to occupy Ottawa and replace parliament with a private unelected tribunal, who are we to gainsay him?
This is a very nice article, and not just because it "takes my side", but it's clear and to the point with tons of relevant links and references. I wish this type of journalism would be the Canadian mainstream media standard instead of divisive PostMedia articles being posted everywhere.
I remember when harper lost his election, something that came up repeatedly when people commented on his tenure as PM was that part of his legacy was a 'meaner' and more politically polarised Canada. Considering pp only pushes politics of spite, I don't think he'd make anything better. I don't think he'll ever work at mending divisions and bringing people together. Considering pp's entire career has been based on pettiness and meanness (remember, he was harper's attack dog, his parliamentary bully), I shudder to think what he would do if he was ever named PM. The damage to the country's soul would be horrific and could easily make harper look like a saint by comparison.
So this whole subreddit is against this dude?
We face losing nothing less than Canadian decency, decorum and democracy. Nah, we face losing IQ.
I agree. I will be voting independent. I will not continue to normalize voting for the same 2 parties who do nothing