Canada’s Next Election Will Be Like None Before

If the headline sounds familiar it’s because in May I published an article here on The Tyee with this one: “These Elections Are Like None Before.”

At the time, the official start of B.C.’s election was four months off but the province’s future was up for grabs. An upstart right-wing political party with largely unknown candidates was neck and neck with the incumbent New Democrats and borrowing tactics from Donald Trump and other socially conservative populist parties around the globe as disinformation exploded on the internet.

Thanks to the support of Tyee Builder members, new and old, we were able to lead all news media in election coverage, publishing more than 100 original pieces exposing candidates’ past extremist statements, comparing platforms, fact checking all parties’ campaign claims and providing deep dives on backers and power players.

Now we are asking you to pitch in again so that we can excel in covering an election even more momentous.

With Justin Trudeau’s government teetering, a federal contest can’t be far off. Here at The Tyee, we refuse to jump on what seems to be a media bandwagon declaring the results — and reasons — a foregone conclusion.

No, the national conversation is just heating up, and we aim to contribute the same kind of investigative, fact-based, hard-hitting reporting we delivered for B.C.’s election.

We’ll turn loose our award-winning reporters and analysts including Michael Harris, Andrew Nikiforuk, Jen St. Denis, Andrew MacLeod, Christopher Cheung, Steve Burgess, Amanda Follett Hosgood, Charles Rusnell, Paul Willcocks and Katie Hyslop.

The conversation this election will spark could not be more important. As Christopher Holcroft reminds in his analysis piece today, nothing less than Canada’s sovereignty and basic assumptions about how we govern are at stake.

Cutting through false claims

What’s also different this time is that reporting on elections increasingly requires monitoring chatter in the back channels of the internet instead of riding the campaign bus and collecting press conference quotes.

American kings of disinformation from Joe Rogan to Alex Jones have made it clear they are determined to try to sway Canadian voters. The richest U.S oligarchs have much to gain from the outcome, as Holcroft reminds. Start with Elon Musk, who has made clear his preference that Canada follow the path of Trump — Musk, who not only wields his massive X/Twitter misinformation machine but now sits at the right hand of the incoming MAGA president.

Canada’s critical election will occur as our country’s news industry is battered by financial losses and shrinking newsrooms. Mark Zuckerberg has blocked news from being shared on his powerful Facebook and Instagram platforms. And, tearing a page out of the authoritarian populist handbook, Pierre Poilievre, leader of the party currently well ahead in the polls, denigrates real journalists and calls for defunding the CBC.

You secure our independence

Let’s be clear. The Tyee is allied with no political party and holds those in power accountable regardless of ideology. We are fiercely independent and there’s a simple reason we can be. Because our reader members support our work. Not hedge funds, big advertisers or advocacy money.

Our 20-year existence flies in the face of powerful players who dream: What if Canada threw an election and there were no independent journalists to cover it?

Yet suddenly, that’s no far-fetched question. You can reject that dark prospect by becoming a Tyee Builder today, as our annual year-end fundraiser winds down.

By giving whatever amount you find comfortable, preferably on a monthly or annual basis, you are helping to prove member-supported journalism in the public interest has a bright future in Canada.

These are times that test democracy’s soul. Truly this federal election will be like none before.

For the journalists of The Tyee, this rising challenge fires our sense of purpose. We believe democracy cannot survive without independent news reporting in the public interest — the kind we exist to provide.

We ask that you contribute what you can to empower, and join, our mission.

The hours are ticking down to our Dec. 31 deadline to bring on 500 new recurring supporters to fund our work in 2025. We’ll need one final push to get us there. If you haven’t already, please consider joining us today.

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Happy holidays, readers. Our comment threads will be closed until Jan. 2 to give our moderators a much-deserved break. See you in 2025!