Poilievre has an energy advantage

OAKVILLE, ONT.—University of Manitoba political science professor Royce Koop recently tweeted, “Tories right now seem more unified than at any other time I can remember, including under Harper when he had a majority.” Professor Koop might be right. Under Pierre Poilievre’s leadership, the Conservatives (as of this writing) do seem more united than ever. True, there’s likely still some opposition to Poilievre simmering just beneath the party’s surface (how could there not be given all its fractious ideological clans?), but for the most part, the Tories appear to be marching in lockstep to the beat of the same drum. Of course, Conservatives also seemed similarly united under former prime minister Stephen Harper, but let’s face it, that unity was mainly the result of savage party discipline. By contrast, Poilievre has (so far) not needed to employ iron-fisted leadership tactics to keep his troops in line. So, why are the normally unruly Conservatives suddenly so harmonious? Well, the most obvious answer is they sense blood in the water. In other words, Conservatives see Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s anemic polling numbers, they see the Liberal government embroiled in various scandals, they see economic anxiety rising amongst Canadians, and they figure it’s time to close ranks behind their leader because victory is close. Like I said, that’s the most obvious answer, but I also think there’s more going on here. Specifically, I believe even the gruffest Conservative can’t help but be dazzled by Poilievre’s high-energy personality. And yes, he has tons of energy. Consider, for instance, how Poilievre has vigorously waged war on several fronts: if he’s not savaging the Liberals over their handling of foreign electoral interference allegations, then he’s blasting them over their spend-happy fiscal policies, or enthusiastically assailing the Conservative party’s perceived enemies in the media. Basically, Poilievre is always taking the initiative, he’s always putting the Liberals on the defensive and he’s always on the attack against his foes. Remember how former U.S. president Donald Trump labelled his one-time political rival Jeb Bush as “low-energy," well, Poilievre is the opposite: he's high-energy. And in politics, being perceived as high-energy is always a good thing for a politician, since it suggests confidence, courage and decisiveness. To put that another way, high-energy generates charisma. This is why politicians often do their best to present themselves as high-energy. I remember an ad put out by the Ontario Liberal Party about 10 years ago which featured then-leader Kathleen Wynne jogging along the province's rural roads. That visual was accompanied by Wynne’s voice-over narration saying, “Here are things most people don’t know about me: one, I love running. Two, I try to speak simply and get to the point. Three, I set goals—really hard-to-accomplish goals. Four, I never stop until they’re done.” The message behind that ad was clear: Wynne is determined, vigorous and unwavering. Former prime minister Jean Chrétien sent out a similar message when he had himself photographed water-skiing. Or, to take a more recent example, consider how many photo-ops we’ve seen of Prime Minister Trudeau paddling a canoe or running through the woods. Indeed, throughout his political career, Trudeau has consistently presented himself as high-energy. At any rate, getting back to Poilievre, my point is Conservatives are likely attracted to his high-energy persona, which helps to create a sense of party unity. Aiding Poilievre in this regard is that his energy is bona fide, it’s part of who he is as a person; it’s real and it matches the energy of his supporters. So, the next election should be interesting, as it’ll match Poilievre’s energy against Trudeau’s. Gerry Nicholls is a communications consultant. The Hill Times