Abigail Oyewole

Staff Writer

Photo Via Getty Images

On November 5th, 2024, we learned that the Democrats do not, in fact, know how to rig elections, as claimed by the Republicans. Having won the seven swing states and 312 electoral votes out of the 270 required to win, Donald J. Trump is set to become the next president of the United States. With America being the influential country it is, many are wondering about the ripple effect the results of the election will have. Canada is the biggest trading partner of our Southern neighbours, and it is no doubt that the U.S. has an impact on Canada – especially in terms of politics. What does Trump’s win mean for Canadian politics? Does the Republicans’ win foreshadow a more acceptable style of populism politics in Canada with the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC)?

The Tories, otherwise known as the Conservative Party of Canada, have been leading the polls for a while, and many wonder if the Republican win in the United States will have a hand in pushing the CPC to victory. Pierre Poilievre, the leader of the CPC, has been likened to Trump on numerous occasions by his critics, claiming that his recent style of politics is taken straight from the MAGA handbook. They cited the various CPC’s three-word slogans as proof. According to The Gazette, Poilievre’s “axe the tax,” “build the homes,” and “stop the crime” slogans bear striking similarities to Trump’s “drain the swamp,” “build the wall,” or “stop the steal” slogans. One thing they have in common is criticisms from experts for oversimplifying complex matters such as the economy and immigration. Poilievre’s response to economists and journalists, who are sceptical over the validity of such slogans, is to use personal attacks against them to distort voter perception – a response that is all too familiar to Trump. As reported by The Walrus, Pierre Poilievre “has borrowed Republican attacks on transgender people and taken to calling Justin Trudeau and his father ‘Marxists.’ Poilievre has leaned into growing scepticism around immigration levels while adopting Trumpian tag lines to paint our urban centres as dangerous hellscapes.” The CPC leader tends to capitalise on trends instigated by Trump, such as ‘anti-wokeness’ and the othering of minorities and immigrants. Despite the questionable tactics, one cannot deny that it has become effective. The CBC News polls show that the CPC has a seventeen-point lead over the liberals at 41.2% with a projection to win over 200 seats and consequently a majority. This is not alarming as people tend to grow tired of a party that has been in power for a while and seek change. What is alarming is the method and style of politics under which it is happening. 

Trump’s first presidential term had an all round influence on the political scene in Canada and the same is expected to happen following his upcoming term. Trump’s influence will not be positive, as his first term was the epitome of the exploitation of fear against minority groups by posing them as the enemy; he linked them to national issues such as economic fallouts and social chaos. FBI statistics show that hate crimes in America surged from the beginning of his term to the capitol riot in 2021. As reported by Rabble.ca, Canada experienced a rise in hate crimes towards Muslims. In 2017, six worshippers were murdered in the mosque by a man who cited Trump’s racist rhetoric as his motivation. That is why Canada should be worried about the social, cultural and political consequences that Pierre Poilievre’s adoption of Trump’s MAGA style will bring upon Canada. If the history book on the shelf repeats itself once more, then Canada should brace for a surge of hate crimes against minorities following his second term. Late Prime minister, Pierre Elliot Trudeau compared being America’s neighbour to sleeping next to an elephant. In other words, every ‘twitch and turn’ affects us. 

Trump’s win as a far-right candidate is telling for the future of Canada’s own far-right candidates, as influence from the U.S. has been known to seep through the cracks into Canada. CPC’s Pierre Poilievre has taken notable strides in the footsteps of Trump’s populist style of stoking fears against immigrants – a tale as old as time. Although the United States has to live with their choice of president and whatever his term entails, Canada does not have to be influenced by Trump’s gimmicks that will pit citizens against each other and create another rift amongst the population. The dangers of populism and of the MAGA style in our society are not foreign to us thanks to Trump’s first term, but we must work to avoid a repeat, despite the same tactics being employed by the leading party.