Candidates with Extreme Views Welcomed on Poilievre’s Team

After 91-year-old former prime minister Jean Chrétien’s rousing speech to Liberals earlier this month, it can be easy to forget the still-formidable politician was once doubted, even dubbed “yesterday’s man.” That label prompted Chrétien to run his first campaign as Liberal leader in 1993 showcasing a team of star candidates, invoking the slogan “I have the people, I have the plan, we will make a difference.” It worked; Chrétien’s Liberals won the first of three consecutive majority governments.

Featuring accomplished candidates on their team also proved beneficial to Stephen Harper and Justin Trudeau’s election victories, and to Jack Layton’s NDP breakthrough in 2011.

New Liberal Leader Mark Carney has been rapidly recruiting, and in some cases reintroducing, high-profile candidates such as New Brunswick Juno Award-winning musician David Myles; former journalist Evan Solomon; Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi; engineer, gun control activist and Polytechnique mass shooting survivor Nathalie Provost; former Quebec finance minister Carlos Leitão; and former Vancouver mayor and MLA Gregor Robertson.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, whose party for two years was the front-runner for government, has taken a less conventional approach to attracting candidates. While the national and local wings of the Conservative party have reportedly been at odds at times over candidate selection, that is not a unique phenomenon among political parties, nor is the occasional surprise revelation about a candidate.

What is unique is the number of candidates who were seemingly chosen in spite, or because, of their proximity to controversy or extreme views.

Much of Poilievre’s caucus is already in sync with his political style: confrontational, rigidly ideological and comfortable with conspiracy. Consider, Poilievre and a large number of Conservative MPs championed the MAGA-inspired, foreign-funding-supported “Freedom Convoy.” In 2023, three of Poilievre’s MPs met with German far-right politician Christine Anderson. Currently, there are 36 MPs awarded a “green light” from the Campaign Life Coalition for being “pro-life.”

Some of Poilievre’s most prominent MPs have also shared views far outside Canadian mainstream opinion, including Leslyn Lewis backing a petition calling on Canada to pull out of the United Nations and the World Health Organization, and Raquel Dancho promising a gun lobby organization that her party will protect Canadians’ “right to own a firearm” — a U.S. concept that has no basis in Canadian law.

Now, Poilievre is building a team that is, if anything, even more radical, a potential Conservative government that could include members with a history of distrusting science they do not understand, disregarding laws they do not like and demeaning people they do not respect.

Among noteworthy Conservative candidates are:

B.C. candidate Aaron Gunn, a self-styled documentary filmmaker whose previous candidacy for the leadership of the former BC Liberal Party was unanimously rejected by the party’s executives because he was considered to be “inconsistent” with the party’s “commitment to reconciliation, diversity and acceptance of all British Columbians.”

Among Gunn’s many YouTube videos are ones praising Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter as a “huge win for free speech,” at least two promoting private health care and featuring U.S. dark-money-funded SecondStreet.org, and an interview with Donald Trump-pardoned Conrad Black in which he claims to “debunk” systemic racism.

Ontario candidate Andrew Lawton is a former host at the True North alt-right media outlet, in which he railed against “trans politics,” covered the annual general meeting of a controversial gun lobby organization and claimed Canada’s Indigenous Governor General was a “shill” for the federal government on preventing the spread of hate or the exploitation of children online.

Lawton previously ran for the provincial Conservatives, at which time a number of disturbing statements he had previously made publicly came to light, including misogynistic, homophobic and racist statements.

Dr. Matt Strauss, also running in Ontario, is the former acting medical officer of health for the region of Haldimand-Norfolk. Strauss was widely criticized during the pandemic for minimizing the risks of the COVID-19 virus, including stating he would rather give his kids COVID than a McDonald’s Happy Meal, casting doubt on whether children should get the COVID vaccine and criticizing mask mandates.

Strauss also wrote an article for the Macdonald-Laurier Institute calling for an end to vaccine mandates. After resigning from his position with Queen’s University, Dr. Strauss sued the university, claiming he was defamed for his views. Elon Musk took credit for funding the lawsuit.

Quebec candidate Matthew Rusniak is a former mixed martial arts fighter and current gym owner who led a campaign against COVID lockdowns in commercial gyms. He eventually defied the emergency law and opened his business, declaring, “I'm just waiting for the police to march in here and slap me with a big fine and lock us up.”

Steve Kent, an appointed candidate in Newfoundland, has previously expressed MAGA leanings. In 2019, while serving as chief administrative officer for the municipality of Mount Pearl, Kent was placed on leave by the town council after allegations of bullying behaviour and workplace harassment. He resigned in 2020 before he could be fired by council.

Jamil Jivani, seeking re-election in Ontario, is perhaps the Conservative candidate of greatest concern. Running just a year after winning a byelection, Jivani is campaigning in a much different context this time. His “best friend” JD Vance now serves as U.S. vice-president in an administration that has stated it wants to annex our country.

As late as January, Poilievre was speaking about Jivani as a likely cabinet minister in his government. This, in spite of, or due to, being fired from his job as a radio talk show host in 2022 for what his employer, Bell Media, deemed “open disdain for the company’s efforts to promote diversity, equity and inclusion.”

As Jivani settled in as an MP, Vance’s decision to serve as running mate to the twice-impeached, criminally indicted Donald Trump and his repeated false claims about migrants eating pets did nothing to dull the friendship between the two men. Jivani met Vance in Washington, D.C., in December and attended his inauguration in January, which Jivani called a “special moment for me personally.”

Vance even publicly rode to Jivani’s defence in December when a Canadian reporter questioned the MP’s campaign against anti-Christian bigotry. Jivani and Vance have reportedly continued to speak but have avoided “politics.”

Meanwhile, Vance has served as a sort of attack dog envoy to the United States’ former allies, publicly assailing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the White House, regularly insulting European allies and antagonizing Canada with false accusations, telling us to “spare me the sob story.”

Vance is an integral part of the Trump administration that has launched an illegal trade war against our country, unjustifiably detained our citizens and openly threatened our sovereignty. It is unacceptable that, in a fight for the future of Canada, Jivani is silent. Whether too cowardly or too conflicted, he is unfit for this moment.

It is imperative engaged citizens in ridings across the country challenge all their local candidates on their views, including those referenced above.

One of the ways in which we can learn about a potential MP’s policies and fitness for office is through local debates organized by non-partisan, often volunteer-led, community groups. These events facilitate a civil discussion of ideas and are expressions of democracy at its most grassroots level.

Unfortunately, Conservatives, in both provincial and federal elections, are increasingly refusing to participate in such events. Given Poilievre’s efforts to control what other Conservatives say and his own record on undermining democracy, more of the same would not be unexpected.

In an era with shorter election campaigns, decline in local media, and consolidation of power by — and public focus on — party leaders, there is insufficient attention paid to riding-level electoral battles. This is unfortunate, because it is among candidates for member of Parliament whom Canadians vote for directly in their local constituency. Elected MPs are the linchpin of Canada’s parliamentary democracy. In our system of responsible government, it is for MPs to decide, on behalf of their constituents, whether a government has the confidence of the House to hold power.

Very much entwined with our sovereignty is Canadian democracy. In this election, the future viability and vitality of both are on the ballot. We preserve both by demonstrating our active citizenship — voting, yes, but also by voicing issues of concern beforehand, engaging with the opinions of others, questioning candidates for office, confronting those evading questioning, and organizing and participating in debates.

With so much at stake, we all have a responsibility to act locally in defence of democracy. In so doing, we will be defending our national sovereignty.