Tories’ anti-WEF attacks little more than an ‘us versus them’ campaign

OAKVILLE, ONT.—One of the worst insults in politics these days is to call somebody a “conspiracy theorist.” After all, it conjures up images of tinfoil hat-wearing kooks. So, when I recently saw a news report headlined, “Poilievre's Conservative Party embracing language of mainstream conspiracy theories," it piqued my interest. Had the media caught Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre ranting in front of a bulletin board covered with weird photos and newspaper headlines connected by strings? Or was he pushing the idea that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was really a lizard-alien impersonating a human as part of a nefarious plot to conquer earth? My enquiring mind wanted to know. But after reading the Poilievre story I quickly realized the whole thing was a tempest in a teapot. Let’s discuss it. To begin with, the media report in question basically revolves around Poilievre’s repeated rhetorical attacks on the World Economic Forum (WEF), an international organization which some see as a harmless bunch of lobbyists, but which others fear is a secretive “elitist” cabal that’s seeking to impose its agenda on sovereign governments. The report strongly suggests the Conservative leader is in the latter category. For instance, it tells us how Poilievre’s party sent out a poll to its members asking if they think the prime minister should stand with “working Canadians or the World Economic Forum.” Plus, it quotes a Conservative fundraising email, which says, “It's far past time we rejected the globalist Davos elites and bring home the common sense of the common people.” Then, for good measure, the report explains that “experts” fear all this is a sign that “some conspiracy theories are moving from the fringes of the internet to mainstream thinking, as people's distrust of government grows.” OK, far be it from me to disagree with “experts," but in my humble opinion, Poilievre's anti-WEF stance is not the manifestation of a “fringe” conspiracy viewpoint. Rather, it’s just a mundane political tactic. In other words, it’s the kind of thing politicians, of all ideological stripes, have been doing forever. Let me explain. First off, keep in mind, the WEF is a collection of billionaires, industrialists and politicians. In short, their wealth, their power, their influence separates them from us regular Canadians, all of which makes them an easy and soft political target. It’s not hard to see why. When Poilievre assails the Trudeau-WEF connection, the subtext of his message is clear. He’s basically saying, “I want to promote the interests of ‘us’ regular Canadians, whereas Trudeau wants to promote the interests of ‘them’, rich, powerful and out-of-touch foreigners.” Believe me, that’s a powerful attack, since it effectively mixes the age old “us versus them” political ploy with a little bit of “guilt by association.” And yes, all political parties play this particular game. For example, earlier this year, when Poilievre gave a speech to the Frontier Centre for Public Policy, a group accused of downplaying the effects of residential schools on Indigenous children, the Liberals immediately pounced. Indeed, then-Crown-Indigenous relations minister Marc Miller described it as "appalling" that Poilievre would "associate himself with an organization like this.” Basically, the Liberal message was “we stand for ‘us’ tolerant Canadians, while Poilievre stands with ‘them,' hateful bigots”. Do you see the similarity to Poilievre’s attack on the Liberal link to the WEF? At any rate, the point I’m trying to make is I think it’s wrong for the media to claim Poilievre is embracing conspiracy theories. Wait a minute … maybe this is part of a sinister alien-lizard conspiracy to take Poilievre down! Hang on, while I get my tinfoil hat. Gerry Nicholls is a communications consultant. The Hill Times