Pierre Poilievre, Trumpism, and the Normalization of Fascism


Pierre Poilievre appears to be "Canadianizing" Donald Trump's populist yet, albeit, successful campaign playbook. This is not news, as it has been clear since Poilievre's meteoric rise to the leadership of the Conservative Party that this was the plan all along. In the months leading up to the election, Donald Trump was often characterized as a "Fascist" akin to the likes of Adolph Hitler. Those who made those allegations have received a lot of pushback, but their accusations of Trump's views are far from unwarranted. Pierre Poilievre does not get compared to Hitler, rather, he is often compared to Trump. Unfortunately, this comparison, especially after a successful election in the United States, almost comes across as a compliment for CPC supporters. Let's take a moment to examine these similarities. 

Many people do not know that Hitler came to power legally, through democratic institutions. In a time of great crisis and economic instability, Hitler vowed to bring Germany back to its rightful place as a world power. He placed the blame of Germany's economic turmoil solely on his ideological political enemies, communists and socialists. He pointed the finger at marginalized communities, European Jews and Slavs, for making Germany weak. Through this hateful rhetoric, Hitler and his Nazi Party were democratically elected, Hitler was named Chancellor, and he immediately began to reshape the German political landscape. He filled his cabinet with his devout supporters. He went after the media and the German education system. He attacked the German constitution and removed elections. He used powerful symbols and propaganda to consolidate power. He proclaimed he was a Christian and made it the official religion of the Nazi movement. Among many other things, he weaponized anger and fear to centralize power solely in his hands. 

Sound familiar? 

Replace the name Hitler with Trump, Germany with the United States, Jews and Slavs with 'illegal immigrants,' and Nazis with Republicans, then you get a regular Tuesday news cycle story on Fox News or CNN.

There is no doubt that Donald Trump has an affection for fascism. These comparisons are not new. They have been around since 2016 when he quoted Mein Kampf on national television. Many in the American media have not been quiet calling out these similarities until very recently. Now, the Hitler comparisons, at least among mainstream media, have gone radio silent. Whether it be fear of persecution from Trump's regime or caving into right-wing rhetoric that accuses anybody on the left of being "woke," there has been little said among influential media members that spotlight these abhorrent and quite frankly overt similarities between Trump and historically fascist dictators.

But this article isn't about Trump, it is about Pierre Poilievre. Like Trump, Poilievre is following the fascist playbook. He appeals to populist messaging, positioning himself as the 'champion of ordinary Canadians'. Moreover, Poilievre also tries to incite anger and rage toward institutions and 'elites,' frequently targeting the political establishment, including both Liberals and Conservatives who are not aligned with his populist, right-wing views. He also is very vocal in his critiques of what he calls the "left-wing" establishment media, like the CBC, which he vows to dismantle when Prime Minister. Like Trump (and Hitler), he believes in education reform and has even called for a 'massive government intrusion into academic freedom. Poilievre has even adopted the internal foreign immigrant enemy Trump created, claiming that he too will carry out mass deportations when elected. Oh, and let us not forget his blatant attempt at rage-baiting symbols and slogans of "Axe the Tax" and "Common Sense" conservatives. In fact, the first thing you see when you visit the CPC website is a merch store where you can buy hats and shirts that sport this Lib-hate-inducing rhetoric.

All this is to say that the Canadian media must call this what it is. It is fascism. Anybody who knows anything about history has seen this time and time again, all over the world. We just saw it happen in the United States. A politician uses racism and populism to gain power, and then with that power, they destroy democratic institutions and replace those institutions with ones that will support their new status quo. Poilievre has not tried to hide his intentions, but the media refuses to call it what it is. 

So, I ask once again. If we can compare Donald Trump to Hitler, why aren't we doing the same for Poilievre? 

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