When it comes to Pierre Poilievre's relationship with the incoming American president, the early signs aren’t exactly encouraging — not, at least, if you care about Canada’s ability to resist the gravitational pull of Trump’s black hole of bullshit.

Misrepresentations are nothing new for Poilievre, mind you. If anything, he’s built the massive lead his party enjoys in the polls on the back of his concerted campaign to confuse Canadians about why they’re paying higher prices for things like groceries and energy. But this particular abuse of the truth is so obvious, so flagrant, and so utterly pointless that it’s worth thinking a little longer about what it says.

This is the real risk of a Poilievre government, one that has multiplied in scale with Trump on his way to the White House. His utter indifference to the truth, and his willingness to weaponize deceit for his own purposes, are traits he clearly shares with Trump. But they will not endear him to the U.S. president, and they will not spare us from his administration’s inevitable wrath. Surrender, after all, doesn’t deter a bully — it encourages him. And every concession to deceit, no matter how small, makes the bigger lies that much easier to get away with.

The best way to protect our cultural and political sovereignty right now is by defending reality, inconvenient as it may seem at times. With Trump in power and our social media overlords increasingly unwilling to do anything to stop the spread of falsehoods and conspiracies on their platforms, we are well and truly on our own here. Our government — indeed, all of our governments — have to step up.

  • Rentlar
    4·
    7 days ago

    Ok. But time it well and avoid a Liberal version of the Kim Campbell situation or a Canadian version of the Kamala Harris situation.

    Because the Conservative Party will give every reason, no matter how true or false, how bigoted or not, of why the replacement is not good enough. The new Liberal leader has to just avoid taking the bait and not recruit any Canadian Cheneys.

    • SilentStorms@lemmy.dbzer0.com
      2·
      7 days ago

      I was semi-joking, but they are in serious trouble and they’re running out of time to do anything about it. The ideal time to replace him was over a year ago. And there’s not really anyone with enough standing to become leader, the Liberals have been the Trudeau Party for a long while. Who else is there? Freeland? Too tied to Trudeau and equally disliked. Mark Carney? I don’t think he’d get anywhere.

      That said, Trudeau is known for being underestimated, and I wouldn’t be completely shocked if he turned this around, but he’s probably too far in the hole for that.

      • Rentlar
        2·
        7 days ago

        I’ve been saying since it doesn’t sound like abolishing FPTP is possible this time around, his only way to save himself now is to put on twice the amount of hairgel as usual, and go on a Trudeau version of the Eras Tour.

        The wildcard is how Canadians looking on at the US going to shit again will affect their preferred choice of PM.

      • tempest
        1·
        7 days ago

        There is nothing Trudeau or the liberals can do. FPTP will ensure the left splits and we get the conservatives. It doesn’t matter if they swap horses now or later the result will be the same.