tag:theconversation.com,2011:/us/topics/peoples-party-of-canada-62688/articlesPeople's Party of Canada – The Conversation2021-11-16T16:07:19Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1715752021-11-16T16:07:19Z2021-11-16T16:07:19ZWho voted for the People’s Party of Canada? Anti-vaxxers and those opposed to vaccine mandates<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/432038/original/file-20211115-19-1d6z4bz.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C3000%2C2074&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">People's Party of Canada Leader Maxime Bernier speaks from a podium to supporters during the PPC headquarters election night event in Saskatoon, Sask., in September 2021. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Liam Richards </span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 175px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/who-voted-for-the-people’s-party-of-canada-anti-vaxxers-and-those-opposed-to-vaccine-mandates" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>At first glance, the 2021 federal election appears to have changed very little. Each party was returned to the House of Commons with <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/federal-election-2021/six-charts-to-help-you-understand-the-2021-federal-election-1.5598419">about as many seats</a> as it had previously held. </p>
<p>Beneath the surface, however, some shifts occurred. Most notably, while the People’s Party of Canada failed to win any seats, its share of the popular vote <a href="https://www.elections.ca/enr/help/national_e.htm">grew to five per cent</a> — more than double what it earned two years earlier.</p>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/canadian-populism-got-shut-out-this-election-but-its-still-a-growing-movement-168133">Canadian populism got shut out this election — but it's still a growing movement</a>
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<p>The PPC’s support is small yet not easily dismissed. The 841,000 votes it earned makes it the fifth most popular party in the country, well ahead of <a href="https://vancouversun.com/news/politics/election-2021/election-2021-results-green-party-delivered-setback-at-ballot-box-losing-mp-in-faltering-of-support">the Greens</a> (who have appeared on the ballot, addressing the prominent issue of climate change, <a href="https://www.greenparty.ca/en/party/history">for decades</a>). The People’s Party won three times more votes than the Reform Party did when it first fielded candidates <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/election-1988-feature">in 1988</a>, one election prior to its breakthrough in 1993.</p>
<p>Understanding exactly what to make of the PPC’s growing support is especially important for the leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada. If PPC voters are former Conservative supporters disappointed with the party’s attempt to appeal to middle-of-the-road, suburban Canadians, it signals a serious dilemma — each voter the Conservatives gain by moving to the centre could be matched by a right-leaning voter lost to the PPC.</p>
<h2>PPC voters bemoan ‘loss of freedom’</h2>
<p>What, then, do we know about PPC voters? At first glance, our <a href="https://www.environicsinstitute.org/insights/insight-details/who-supports-the-people-s-party-of-canada">fall 2021 survey</a> shows PPC voters have the profile many would expect. They’re dissatisfied with the way things are going in our country today, feel the economy is getting weaker, think there are too many immigrants coming to Canada who don’t adopt the country’s values and hold a favourable opinion of the United States.</p>
<p>Yet these opinions do not really set them apart. <a href="https://www.nationalobserver.com/2019/09/25/news/conservatives-more-likely-view-immigrants-costly-society">Most Conservative Party supporters also hold these views</a>. What does distinguish current PPC voters is their views on the COVID-19 pandemic, and specifically on the issue of vaccination, vaccine mandates and vaccine passports. </p>
<p>Our survey, conducted during the 2021 election campaign, asked Canadians to identify the most important problem facing the country today. </p>
<p>Both Liberal and Conservative Party supporters were most likely to mention the COVID-19 pandemic in general. Climate change was most likely to be mentioned as the most important problem by NDP, Bloc Québécois and Green Party supporters. </p>
<p>But for PPC supporters, the No. 1 issue was the loss of freedom stemming from vaccine mandates — a concern barely mentioned by anyone who supported other parties. </p>
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<img alt="A group of protesters, including a woman in an orange-and-white tank top, blue scarf and baseball hat, hold signs, one of which says Make Canada Free Again." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/432037/original/file-20211115-22-50ta6u.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/432037/original/file-20211115-22-50ta6u.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/432037/original/file-20211115-22-50ta6u.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/432037/original/file-20211115-22-50ta6u.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/432037/original/file-20211115-22-50ta6u.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/432037/original/file-20211115-22-50ta6u.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/432037/original/file-20211115-22-50ta6u.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Demonstrators hold signs for passing motorists as protesters gather to demonstrate against measures taken by health authorities to curb the spread of COVID-19 in Toronto in September 2021.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young</span></span>
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<p>A more rigorous analysis of the survey results, which tests the significance of different factors while holding others constant, confirms the importance of vaccination issues to current PPC voters. </p>
<p>Someone who singled out “loss of freedom” during the pandemic as the most important issue facing the country had a 59 per cent chance of supporting the PPC, compared to only a five per cent chance for someone who mentioned any other issue. </p>
<p>Similarly, someone who singled out “COVID-19 vaccination issues” as the most important issue facing the country had a 44 per cent chance of supporting the PPC, compared to a six per cent chance for someone who mentioned any other issue. </p>
<h2>Immigration not a decisive factor</h2>
<p>This last example, furthermore, likely underestimates the impact of PPC voters’ irritation with vaccination requirements. It can be assumed that the very few number of Liberals who also singled out “COVID-19 vaccination issues” as the most important issue probably had something very different in mind — perhaps frustration with those who won’t get vaccinated — than their PPC counterparts. </p>
<p>Nonetheless, the main point is clear: voters concerned about the push to be vaccinated and what they perceive as a loss of freedom during the pandemic were much more likely to vote PPC than voters concerned about anything else. </p>
<p>Equally important is the finding that PPC voters stand out much less for their attitudes on immigration. The impact of immigration views on someone’s likelihood of supporting the PPC is barely significant, in stark contrast to their opinions on vaccination.</p>
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<img alt="Protesters carry signs that read My Body My Choice and No Mandates No Passports." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/432036/original/file-20211115-19-xsqeg7.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=1044%2C128%2C5013%2C3253&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/432036/original/file-20211115-19-xsqeg7.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/432036/original/file-20211115-19-xsqeg7.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/432036/original/file-20211115-19-xsqeg7.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/432036/original/file-20211115-19-xsqeg7.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/432036/original/file-20211115-19-xsqeg7.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/432036/original/file-20211115-19-xsqeg7.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">People gather to protest COVID-19 vaccine mandates and masking measures during a weekend rally in Kingston, Ont., in November 2021.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Lars Hagberg</span></span>
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<p>This does not mean that PPC voters are strong supporters of immigration; rather, it means simply that their views on the subject do not differentiate supporters of the PPC from supporters of some other parties — notably, the Conservatives. </p>
<p>Incidentally, it should be noted these findings apply only to Canadians indicating they intended to vote for the PPC, not to the party’s leadership, organizers or funders who may regard closing our borders to newcomers as more of a priority.</p>
<h2>A message for Conservatives</h2>
<p>Nonetheless, the fact that the growth in PPC support is tied to the unusual issue of vaccination against COVID-19 is no guarantee that the party’s popularity will fade once the pandemic ends. Other issues may come along to take its place. </p>
<p>But it does send a cautionary note to Conservatives who might be wondering what the party can do to bring PPC voters back into the fold. Rejecting new policies on climate change or social diversity is unlikely to help so long as PPC supporters continue to be motivated largely by a single issue — their opposition to vaccines. </p>
<p>As the election outcome itself showed, showing flexibility on vaccine mandates in order to win back defectors to the PPC risks putting more distance between the Conservative Party and <a href="https://www.environicsinstitute.org/projects/project-details/all-in-this-together-canadians-views-on-masks-vaccines-and-lockdowns-during-the-covid-19-pandemic">the mainstream of Canadian public opinion</a>. </p>
<p>In short, PPC voters were not simply typical Conservative supporters leaning furthest to the right on a range of issues that include government spending, taxation, climate change and immigration. They were, on average, a unique cluster of voters who have rejected <a href="https://www.ipsos.com/en-ca/news-polls/majority-of-canadians-support-vaccination-mandates">the overwhelming public consensus on the need to be vaccinated to contain the spread of COVID-19.</a> </p>
<p>The growth potential for the Conservative Party lies not in chasing the small number of voters angered by vaccine mandates, but in appealing to the much larger pool of voters whose top priorities include bringing the pandemic to an end and refocusing attention on the fight against climate change.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/171575/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The Environics Institute for Survey Research is a not-for-profit research agency. Its research projects are typically co-funded between the Institute and one or more non-governmental organizations, governments and business partners. A full list of partners is available on its website; partners for each study are noted in each published report. For the 2021 Focus Canada survey, data collection for questions related to immigration, refugees and Indigenous Peoples was cost-shared with Century Initiative. Data collection related to voting intention, as well as the analysis presented in this article, was self-funded by the Environics Institute.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Justin Savoie provides statistical research consulting services to the Environics Institute on an occasional basis. The present article is based on findings from such work.</span></em></p>Voters concerned about the push to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and what they perceived as a loss of freedom were much more likely to vote PPC than voters concerned about anything else.Andrew Parkin, Sessional Lecturer, Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, University of TorontoJustin Savoie, PhD Candidate, Political Science, University of TorontoLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1663792021-09-14T16:58:53Z2021-09-14T16:58:53ZWith far right groups on the rise, we should keep an eye on populism this federal election<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/419898/original/file-20210907-21-d1p1mi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=22%2C17%2C2973%2C1962&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A woman wears a Make Canada Great Again cap during a demonstration opposing government policy on immigration near the Canada-U.S. border in 2019.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes </span></span></figcaption></figure><p>While the Canadian electorate is mostly made up of Liberal, Conservative, Green and New Democrat party supporters, it also includes people who are seeking a new direction for Canadian politics — one that promises to be “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/eis.2019.23">for the people</a>.” And some of these people are part of far right groups who are calling for a new populist movement. </p>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/what-actually-is-populism-and-why-does-it-have-a-bad-reputation-109874">What actually is populism? And why does it have a bad reputation?</a>
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<p>Research shows that globally, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/21599165.2020.1787162">the far right calls for an authoritarian populist government</a>. This is a drastic step away from traditional conservative governments on the right of the political spectrum. Right-wing populist governments often see themselves as an alternative to the political elitism they envision resides on both the right and the left. </p>
<p>However, <a href="https://www.versobooks.com/books/178-populism-and-the-mirror-of-democracy">they differentiate themselves by providing oversimplified and often divisive solutions</a> to social problems such as income inequality. And this is cause for concern as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/17467586.2021.1876900">far right groups and far right violence have been increasing in Canada</a> over the past decade. </p>
<p>Given these trends, could <a href="https://www.populismstudies.org/Vocabulary/right-wing-populism/">right-wing populism</a> be a cause for concern in Canada?</p>
<h2>Populism Worldwide</h2>
<p>There has been a increase in in populist parties and sentiments in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/1070289X.2018.1552440">North America</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-polisci-050718-033542">Europe</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198803560.013.8">Latin America</a> over the last six years. </p>
<p>Populism can be explained using multiple different approaches. Some scholars argue that ideologically, populist governments differentiate between <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0010414018789490">“the people” from “the elite”</a>. This approach to populism also emphasizes that populism is usually <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0010414018789490">paired with another ideology</a> that defines “the people.” An example of an ideology <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0010414018789490">often paired with right-wing populism is nativism</a>, the belief in exclusionary policies protecting individuals born in a country over foreign born people. </p>
<p>While populist effects are complex, they can be negative. For example, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/actrade/9780190234874.001.0001">appealing only to the majority can have detrimental consequences on minority rights</a>. This becomes even more dangerous when appeals to the majority limit “the people” to an ethnic or racial majority. </p>
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<img alt="People gather holding upside down Canada flags and pro Trump flags outside the U.S. embassy in Ottawa." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/419897/original/file-20210907-19-10qv1dv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/419897/original/file-20210907-19-10qv1dv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/419897/original/file-20210907-19-10qv1dv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/419897/original/file-20210907-19-10qv1dv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/419897/original/file-20210907-19-10qv1dv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/419897/original/file-20210907-19-10qv1dv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/419897/original/file-20210907-19-10qv1dv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">The growing trend toward an increase in far right groups, and their taste toward populism ensures that these parties are not going away.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
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<h2>Populism in Canada past and present</h2>
<p>There have been various iterations of political parties in Canada that adhered to right-wing populism — meaning that populist sentiments, and a call to populist governance, is not new in Canada. </p>
<p>In 1987, the Reform party, headed by Preston Manning, gained relative success with <a href="https://books.google.ca/books/about/Of_Passionate_Intensity.html?id=8XAkAQAAIAAJ&redir_esc=y">a populist agenda, calling for a complete revision to the political system, a cap on immigration and tax cuts</a>. However, after 2000, the party largely faded due to lack of support. </p>
<p>More recently, the People’s Party of Canada (PPC), headed by <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/8167437/maxime-bernier-ppc-feature/">former Conservative MP Maxime Bernier,</a> has taken up the populist torch. </p>
<p>After his defeat to Andrew Scheer to become leader of the Conservative party, Bernier founded the PPC as a more right-wing alternative to the Conservatives. Making its debut in 2019 fall election, the PPC is rife with anti-immigration sentiments — their platform <a href="https://www.peoplespartyofcanada.ca/immigration">promises a decrease in immigration</a>, a <a href="https://www.peoplespartyofcanada.ca/refugees">closed-border policy which vilifies refugees</a> and adheres to unclear <a href="https://www.peoplespartyofcanada.ca/canadian-identity">“Canadian values” and “Canadian identity.”</a></p>
<p>In the 2019 federal election, the PPC was not able to obtain any seats in the House of Commons, despite obtaining <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/bernier-ppc-sask-1.6161727">1.6 per cent of the popular vote</a>. This time around, Bernier and the PPC have vowed to gain more representation in the House of Commons — Bernier himself estimates he’ll get about <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/bernier-ppc-sask-1.6161727">four to five per cent of the popular vote</a>. He claims to speak for the average Canadian by emphasizing “common sense” politics, motioning to a populist rhetoric. The PPC <a href="https://www.peoplespartyofcanada.ca/about">also overtly self-identifies as a populist party</a>. </p>
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<img alt="Poster that reads 'People's party of Canada MAXIME!' plus a photo of Maxime Bernier" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/419896/original/file-20210907-19-1rwv6ek.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/419896/original/file-20210907-19-1rwv6ek.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/419896/original/file-20210907-19-1rwv6ek.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/419896/original/file-20210907-19-1rwv6ek.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/419896/original/file-20210907-19-1rwv6ek.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/419896/original/file-20210907-19-1rwv6ek.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/419896/original/file-20210907-19-1rwv6ek.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Supporters of Maxime Bernier, leader of the People’s Party of Canada, hold up a banner as he speaks to the crowd as protesters demonstrate against measures taken by government and public health authorities to curb the spread of COVID-19, in May.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young</span></span>
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<p>In July, Derek Sloan, a former Conservative MP who was kicked out of the party for taking a political donation from a white supremacist, announced he too <a href="https://ipolitics.ca/2021/08/06/the-rebel-to-rabble-review-derek-sloan-talks-true-north/">was creating a new political party</a>. </p>
<p>Sloan said he hoped his new True North party would inspire <a href="https://cochranenow.com/articles/sloan-running-against-his-former-conservative-party-whip">a “movement” of political activism</a> against the Conservative party. Sloan has also claimed his party will help those who feel “<a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/8068021/sloan-new-party-conservative/">disenfranchised</a>” by the current political climate. The language of listening to a disillusioned and forgotten people is a symptom of populist discourse. But Sloan is still struggling to bring this party to fruition. </p>
<p>While right-wing populist parties are not new in Canada, the presence of the PPC and the True North party speaks to a growing desire for these parties. This is not to mention other populist far right parties that have appeared in Canadian provinces over the past several years — including the Atlantica party in Nova Scotia and The Wildrose party in Alberta. </p>
<h2>Cause for concern?</h2>
<p>While some would assume members of the far right would vote for conservative parties, Canadian far right groups may be taking their votes to more populist groups, creating a demand for these parties. </p>
<p>While this does not mean parties claiming to be populist, like Bernier’s PPC, will get significant votes in Monday’s election, it does call for much needed attention to party platforms and motivations that make exclusionary claims. </p>
<p>Although right-wing populist candidates did not succeed in 2019, the growing trend toward an increase in far right groups — and their taste toward populism — ensures that these parties are not going away. The history of right-wing populist parties fading into obscurity and then reappearing also suggests that these groups will continue. </p>
<p>Populist parties appeal to a dangerous anti-immigration sentiment <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-923X.12859">characteristic of the far right</a> — surely a cause for concern among all Canadians.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/166379/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kayla Preston is an SSHRC- Bombardier Scholar studying (de)radicalization. </span></em></p>As Canadians head to the polls, some are seeking new direction. One they claim promises to be “for the people.” And some are part of far right groups who are calling for a populist movement.Kayla Preston, PhD Student, Department of Sociology, University of TorontoLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1250352019-10-14T11:42:40Z2019-10-14T11:42:40ZMaxime Bernier either doesn’t know or doesn’t care that immigrants have a positive impact on the economy<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/296732/original/file-20191011-96221-muaidw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The platform of the People's Party of Canada gets a lot of things factually wrong about the economic impact of immigration.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The anti-immigration rhetoric heard on stage at the national leaders’ debates may have surprised many Canadians. Calls from the political fringes for major immigration reform to preserve or restore some imagined character of the state has been a trend in other western industrialized democracies like France, the Netherlands and the United States, but up till now, has been absent in mainstream Canadian political discourse.</p>
<p>The emergence of immigration as an election issue in Canada is due largely to the country’s newest political party, The People’s Party of Canada (PPC), which was formed in 2018. For the PPC and its leader Maxime Bernier, immigration is a core issue and forms a major component of the party’s <a href="https://www.peoplespartyofcanada.ca/immigration_reducing_overall_levels_and_prioritizing_skilled_immigrants">election platform</a>. </p>
<p>While the PPC relies heavily on populist rhetoric — for example, opposing Canada’s supposed “<a href="https://www.cbc.ca/radio/day6/episode-404-bernier-vs-everyone-impeach-o-meter-rebuilding-after-harvey-logan-paul-40-single-and-more-1.4796431/extreme-multiculturalism-and-cult-of-diversity-maxime-bernier-sets-a-divisive-tone-for-the-next-election-1.4796446">cult of diversity</a>” — its platform does try to provide an economic rationale to support both a drastic reduction in the number of immigrants admitted to Canada each year and a shift in the criteria used for deciding who gets in.</p>
<p>It is a curious position to take for a party that wants to form government, given that a <a href="https://www.cicnews.com/2019/10/new-public-opinion-poll-shows-majority-support-for-canadas-immigration-target-of-331000-newcomers-1012907.html#gs.8k9fmy">recent poll</a> finds the majority of Canadians support immigration — either keeping immigration levels as they are or increasing them. But it is a position that has found some supporters, if only at the relative fringes of Canadian politics, and has been politically successful in other countries known historically to be open to immigration.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.thestar.com/opinion/star-columnists/2019/09/25/giving-maxime-bernier-a-platform-legitimizes-his-dangerous-ideas.html">There is a compelling case</a> for not providing a space to air the ideas of Bernier and the PPC. But <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/maxime-bernier-peoples-party-federal-election-debate-2019-1.5285871">the federal Canadian debate commission allowed his participation in the two national debates</a>, so the ideas are out there and demand a critical analysis. In particular, careful attention should be paid to separating fact from fiction, given the way fringe anti-immigration politics have successfully infiltrated other western democracies.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/what-place-does-populism-have-in-the-current-election-campaign-123414">What place does populism have in the current election campaign?</a>
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<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/296735/original/file-20191011-96241-c5iyas.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/296735/original/file-20191011-96241-c5iyas.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/296735/original/file-20191011-96241-c5iyas.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/296735/original/file-20191011-96241-c5iyas.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/296735/original/file-20191011-96241-c5iyas.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/296735/original/file-20191011-96241-c5iyas.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/296735/original/file-20191011-96241-c5iyas.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A scuffle breaks out before a People’s Party of Canada election event in Hamilton on Sept. 29. Demonstrators have shown up at Maxime Bernier’s events to protest his immigration policies.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young</span></span>
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<h2>Misunderstanding or misinformation?</h2>
<p>The economic rationale provided by Bernier and the PPC belies either a fundamental misunderstanding of the economics of immigration, or worse, an unabashed attempt to stoke anti-immigrant sentiment for political ends.</p>
<p>The PPC’s platform begins by saying that immigrants “should not put excessive financial burdens on the shoulders of Canadians….”</p>
<p>This is a commonly used justification for tightening immigration. It is intended to create the impression that immigrants receive a high level of benefits relative to other Canadians, and that the economic cost in terms of taxpayer-funded government benefits received by immigrants outweighs the economic benefit in terms of income tax paid.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/296733/original/file-20191011-96221-186p12s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/296733/original/file-20191011-96221-186p12s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/296733/original/file-20191011-96221-186p12s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/296733/original/file-20191011-96221-186p12s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/296733/original/file-20191011-96221-186p12s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/296733/original/file-20191011-96221-186p12s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/296733/original/file-20191011-96221-186p12s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Bernier responds to NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh during the English-language leaders’ debate.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Using the latest available data from the 2016 census, we can calculate average benefits received and taxes paid for immigrants and other Canadians.</p>
<p>The truth is, the average Canadian immigrant does not receive more government benefits than the average non-immigrant and the average immigrant to Canada did not “cost” more than they paid in taxes.</p>
<p>The total amount of government transfers received by the average Canadian immigrant was $7,776.80, while the total income tax paid by the average Canadian immigrant was $10,803.73. The numbers for the average non-immigrant Canadian citizen were $7,891.86 and $12,610.88 respectively.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/data-on-canadian-immigrants-from-shithole-countries-might-surprise-trump-90088">Data on Canadian immigrants from 'shithole' countries might surprise Trump</a>
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<h2>Immigrants receive fewer benefits</h2>
<p>In its platform, the party states non-immigrants pay more in income tax than immigrants, which is supported by the data. The reason, as the platform also correctly suggests, is that non-immigrants have higher labour market earnings than do immigrants. However, the children of immigrants — second generation Canadians — end up earning more and paying more taxes than the average non-immigrant Canadian.</p>
<p>That immigrants earn less than non-immigrants is neither news nor a surprise. The immigrant wage gap is a <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-immigrant-wage-gap-costing-canada-50-billion-a-year-in-gdp-report/">well-documented</a> phenomenon , and <a href="https://economics.ubc.ca/files/2013/05/pdf_paper_david-green-entry-earnings-immigrant-men.pdf">much research</a> has been devoted to understanding its source.</p>
<h2>Highly employed and educated</h2>
<p>The PPC’s platform implies that immigrants earn less because they do not offer the same value to the economy as a non-immigrant. The suggestion is that immigrants are supposedly less likely to be employed or are simply paid less to reflect their lower market value.</p>
<p>In reality, Canada’s immigrant employment rate, at 92.4 per cent, is actually on par with (or marginally higher than) the non-immigrant employment rate at 92.3 per cent. Second, the education level of a typical immigrant is higher than that of the typical non-immigrant.</p>
<p>As one example, the census data shows the typical immigrant is 40 per cent more likely to have a bachelor’s degree than a non-immigrant.</p>
<p>The fact that immigrants are just as likely to be employed and have a higher level of education than other Canadians while earning less perhaps says more about the functioning of the Canadian labour market than anything else.</p>
<p>Problems with recognizing and understanding <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1365-2966.2008.00460.x">foreign credentials and work experience</a> or even simple <a href="https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/pol.3.4.148">labour market discrimination</a> have both been identified as issues in the Canadian labour market.</p>
<p>Well-functioning economies are characterized by high labour mobility —workers being willing and able to move from one region to another for economic opportunity. </p>
<p>Another way immigrants play an important role is that they are four times more likely to have moved provinces in the five years leading up to the 2016 census than are non-immigrants. Canada’s economy is a collection of industries that in some cases are regionally concentrated. As such, there are often labour shortages in one region of the country and high levels of unemployment in another. </p>
<h2>Immigrant labour supports non-immigrant labour</h2>
<p>One particularly divisive claim that is often made by anti-immigration populists is that immigrants are bad for non-immigrant labor outcomes. But recent studies that have looked at the effect of immigrants on non-immigrant <a href="https://academic.oup.com/restud/article-abstract/80/1/145/1596869">wages</a> and <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167268114000948">well-being</a> have found evidence of positive effects in both cases.</p>
<p>Using the 2016 and 2006 census data, we can look at the relationship between immigrants per capita and non-immigrant wage growth in Canada’s largest communities over a 10-year period. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/296736/original/file-20191011-96226-arx11.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/296736/original/file-20191011-96226-arx11.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=437&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/296736/original/file-20191011-96226-arx11.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=437&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/296736/original/file-20191011-96226-arx11.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=437&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/296736/original/file-20191011-96226-arx11.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=549&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/296736/original/file-20191011-96226-arx11.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=549&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/296736/original/file-20191011-96226-arx11.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=549&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Wage growth of non-immigrants and changes in immigrants per capita in Canada’s largest cities between 2006-16. Wages adjusted for inflation.</span>
</figcaption>
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<p>The pattern is striking — metropolitan areas that experienced an increase in immigrants per capita also experienced growth in the wages of non-immigrants. This should not be read as a causal relationship. Being more willing to move provinces, immigrants “<a href="https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/app.20140095">equilibriate</a>” local labour markets by leaving low wage/low opportunity locations for high wage/high opportunity ones, which at least partly explains the pattern.</p>
<p>But there is <a href="https://files.stlouisfed.org/files/htdocs/pageone-economics/uploads/newsletter/2014/PageOne0514_Economics_of_Immigration.pdf">economic logic</a> for why more immigrant labour can increase wages for non-immigrants — immigrants often do jobs that are complementary to, as opposed to a substitute for, the jobs that non-immigrants do. </p>
<h2>Trump has praised Canadian system</h2>
<p>The PPC immigration platform includes a call to reform Canada’s immigration system in an echo of the the Trump administration’s repeated call for a switch to “merit-based” immigration in the U.S. Ironically, Trump <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/trump-immigration-system-canada-merit-based-points-1.5115475">cites Canada</a> as a shining example of such a system.</p>
<p>This call asks immigrants to be selected based on “economic class” and their skills (education, work experience, language) as opposed to the “family class” that exists primarily to reunify families of immigrants.</p>
<p>The PPC platform claims that only 26 per cent of immigrants to Canada come through the economic class. This is factually incorrect. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/296734/original/file-20191011-96226-1nnx8fa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/296734/original/file-20191011-96226-1nnx8fa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/296734/original/file-20191011-96226-1nnx8fa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/296734/original/file-20191011-96226-1nnx8fa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/296734/original/file-20191011-96226-1nnx8fa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/296734/original/file-20191011-96226-1nnx8fa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/296734/original/file-20191011-96226-1nnx8fa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Renata Ford, the widow of the late populist Toronto mayor Rob Ford, is a candidate for the PPC.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/publications-manuals/annual-report-parliament-immigration-2017.html#sec1_1">The 2017 Annual Report to Parliament on Immigration</a> states the majority of immigrants to Canada (53 per cent) already come through the economic class, which is likely why Canada’s system is envied by the Trump administration.</p>
<p>In any case, the PPC is also wrong to claim that entrants through the family class take more from the system in terms of government transfer payments than they pay in taxes. The census data reveals that immigrants who entered through the family class pay an average of $8,231.28 in income tax, while receiving $6,665.73 in government transfers. </p>
<p>Further, though immigrants through the family class are not selected specifically for their economic value, they often provide key services like free child care for immigrant parents. There is <a href="https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/591908">robust evidence</a> that free childcare has large effects on maternal labour supply, which of course ultimately means higher taxes paid by immigrant parents.</p>
<p>Ultimately, the case for immigration reform as envisioned in the PPC platform cannot be an economic one. As such, Bernier and his PPC should not be so surprised when they are accused of xenophobia and racism by the media and other political parties.</p>
<p>[ <em>Like what you’ve read? Want more?</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/ca/newsletters?utm_source=TCCA&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=likethis">Sign up for The Conversation’s daily newsletter</a>. ]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/125035/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Arvind Magesan receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). </span></em></p>The populist policies of Maxime Bernier’s People’s Party of Canada show a fundamental misunderstanding of how immigration has helped Canada’s economy.Arvind Magesan, Associate Professor of Economics, University of CalgaryLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1221142019-08-20T15:16:45Z2019-08-20T15:16:45ZWhy Canada’s environmental charities are afraid to talk about climate change during the election<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/288755/original/file-20190820-170931-1g79gy7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=286%2C55%2C5871%2C4068&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A flare stack lights the sky from the Imperial Oil refinery in Edmonton on Dec. 28, 2018.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>There is a serious erosion of democracy underway in Canada. </p>
<p>Elections Canada is <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/environment-groups-warned-climate-change-real-partisan-1.5251763">preventing environmental charities from telling the truth about the climate crisis</a> during this fall’s election, when it will be a critical issue. </p>
<p>Elections Canada’s job is to run elections that are fair and trustworthy so that the government chosen by Canadians will have a legitimate right to govern. But Elections Canada is reducing the trust Canadians can have in this fall’s election by improperly silencing public outreach by environmental charities.</p>
<p>What Elections Canada is doing is wrong, is harmful to this election and is dangerous to Canadian democracy.</p>
<p>The Oct. 21 election will be Canada’s first under a new version of the <a href="https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/e-2.01/">Canada Elections Act</a>. The <a href="https://ipolitics.ca/article/elections-bill-gets-royal-assent-after-fractious-path-through-parliament/">act was amended in December</a> to “improve Canadians’ trust and confidence in Canada’s electoral system” and to prohibit foreign entities from spending to influence elections. </p>
<p>After the <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/7/26/8931950/trump-russia-meddling-mueller-gidley-no-impact">blatant foreign interference in the 2016 presidential election in the United States</a>, there were good reasons for Canada to take precautions. The problem is this. Elections Canada is muzzling public outreach by charities about the climate crisis, just when it has never been more urgent for the public to understand it.</p>
<h2>Public advocacy not partisan activity</h2>
<p>How are they doing so? Under Canadian law, charities are allowed a certain amount of “political activities” but cannot engage in “partisan activities.” The Canada Elections Act clearly defines the difference — one that Elections Canada is ignoring.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/288752/original/file-20190820-170931-w69rde.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/288752/original/file-20190820-170931-w69rde.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/288752/original/file-20190820-170931-w69rde.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/288752/original/file-20190820-170931-w69rde.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/288752/original/file-20190820-170931-w69rde.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/288752/original/file-20190820-170931-w69rde.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/288752/original/file-20190820-170931-w69rde.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">A sign at an ecological activism march in Montréal.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
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<p>“Partisan activities,” which charities cannot do, whether an election is on or not, are about parties and candidates, not about public policy. This is clearly defined in the Canada Elections Act. For example:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>partisan activity means an activity, including canvassing door-to-door, making telephone calls to electors and organizing rallies, that is carried out by a third party — a person or group other than a political party that is registered under an act of a province — and that promotes or opposes a registered party or eligible party or the election of a potential candidate, nomination contestant, candidate or leader of a registered party or eligible party, otherwise than by taking a position on an issue with which any such party or person is associated. It does not include election advertising …</p>
</blockquote>
<p>In contrast, “political activities,” which charities can do, regardless of whether an election is on, are about public policy. This includes policy advocacy or communications aimed at changing hearts and minds with respect to a cause like poverty or the climate crisis, and its causes and remedies. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/doug-ford-is-clear-cutting-ontarios-environmental-laws-119624">Doug Ford is clear-cutting Ontario's environmental laws</a>
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<p>These activities make a valuable contribution to public policy development in Canada. In the landmark case, <a href="https://canliiconnects.org/en/summaries/63656">Canada Without Poverty vs. Attorney General of Canada</a>, the Superior Court of Ontario recognized the “imperative that charities fully engage, not minimally engage, in various forms of public advocacy.” </p>
<p>Policy advocacy is protected by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms’ guarantee of freedom of expression, and is essential to achieving many charitable purposes. For example, poverty, like the climate crisis, cannot be solved by individual action alone. Giving someone a handout, or an LED bulb, will never be enough without broader government action.</p>
<h2>Factual assertions now partisan</h2>
<p>During an election, election advertising, which is specifically excluded from “partisan activities,” is a type of political activity that charities and other third parties are permitted to do. This includes ads that take a position on an issue with which a registered party or candidate is associated. </p>
<p>If the charity spends more than $500, it must register and report to Elections Canada about their paid “election advertising.” The cost and administrative burden of this registration and record-keeping discourages some charities, but there is a legitimate public purpose for it.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/288744/original/file-20190820-170910-n29gci.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/288744/original/file-20190820-170910-n29gci.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=409&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/288744/original/file-20190820-170910-n29gci.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=409&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/288744/original/file-20190820-170910-n29gci.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=409&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/288744/original/file-20190820-170910-n29gci.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=514&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/288744/original/file-20190820-170910-n29gci.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=514&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/288744/original/file-20190820-170910-n29gci.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=514&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">People’s Party of Canada Leader Maxime Bernier said ‘there is no climate change urgency in this country’ at an event in Toronto in June 2019.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes</span></span>
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<p>What’s new and dangerous is this: because <a href="https://www.nationalobserver.com/2019/06/21/news/maxime-bernier-recruits-renata-ford-he-touts-plan-denies-climate-crisis">Maxime Bernier and members of his People’s Party of Canada are climate deniers</a>, Elections Canada now insists that factual assertions about climate science and policy are “partisan.” </p>
<p>If we get a Flat Earth party, will gravity and the shape of the world become “partisan?” Would an anti-vaxxer party make medical science “partisan?”</p>
<p>I wrote this article because two charities told me Elections Canada specifically warned them that factual assertions about climate were “partisan.” They said this warning was given both orally and in a webinar. <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/environment-groups-warned-climate-change-real-partisan-1.5251763">The Canadian Press reported the same assertion</a>. </p>
<p>Elections Canada now denies it ever suggested that factual assertions about climate are partisan, <a href="https://www.elections.ca/content.aspx?section=med&document=aug2019&dir=spe&lang=e#top">although there is no explicit disavowal in the statement released by the Chief Electoral Officer in the wake of the media reports</a>.</p>
<p>The Chief Electoral Officer should clearly state, in writing, that paid advertising and other communications to the public about climate change are not “partisan activities” or “partisan advertising.” </p>
<h2>Political audits</h2>
<p>Canada’s charities are hypersensitive to any accusation of being “partisan,” because so many of them were harassed and exhausted by the <a href="https://www.macleans.ca/news/canada/canada-revenue-agencys-political-targeting-of-charities-under-scrutiny/">60 “political activity audits” that former prime minister Stephen Harper launched in 2012</a>. </p>
<p>Harper had Revenue Canada spend millions of dollars of public funds to put charities — including environmental charities — under the microscope, perhaps in the hope of blunting their opposition to oil pipelines. The years of exhaustive audits scared off donors but found nothing of importance. </p>
<p>One <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/charity-political-audits-cra-lebouthillier-farha-poverty-environmental-gray-liberal-1.4750295">anti-poverty group lost its charitable registration but won in court</a>, which ruled that the revocation of their charitable registration for “political activities” (trying to pressure governments to take action on poverty) was a breach of their Charter right to freedom of expression. The “political activities” restriction on charitable activities was entirely revoked Dec. 31, 2018.</p>
<p>The difference between “partisan” and “political” may not be obvious to some, but it is not new and should not be hard for Elections Canada to tell apart. </p>
<h2>Not neutral on public policy</h2>
<p>As the <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-climate-policy-frightening-1.5073595">Environmental Commissioner of Ontario</a>, I was also required to be non-partisan (that is, not supporting or opposing any political party or candidates), but not neutral on public policy or public outreach. It was not hard to see the difference.</p>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/scrapping-environmental-watchdog-is-like-shooting-the-messenger-107345">Scrapping environmental watchdog is like shooting the messenger</a>
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<p>Elections Canada’s unwarranted insistence that climate science and policy are “partisan” is already damaging this election. At least one place of worship has pulled out of hosting an all-candidates’ environmental debate. Leading environmental charities, like Environmental Defence, <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-want-to-talk-about-climate-change-during-the-federal-election-youll/">have decided they can’t take the chance and have bowed out of public outreach on climate until after the election</a>. </p>
<p>With provincial governments, like Ontario, nowhere to be found on the climate crisis, that leaves climate deniers free to peddle statements that are misleading or false, while muzzling those who devote their lives to what is accurate. </p>
<p>How can the public make an informed choice when the most trustworthy sources of non-partisan information are silenced?</p>
<p>This is an outrage.</p>
<p>[ <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/ca/newsletters?utm_source=TCCA&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=expertise">Expertise in your inbox. Sign up for The Conversation’s newsletter and get a digest of academic takes on today’s news, every day.</a></em> ]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/122114/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dianne Saxe does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Environmental charities are worried about speaking out about climate change during the upcoming federal campaign for fear Elections Canada will consider their activities as “partisan.”Dianne Saxe, McMurtry Fellow at Osgoode Hall Law School, York University, CanadaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1070512018-11-19T22:58:14Z2018-11-19T22:58:14ZWhat I learned at a People’s Party of Canada rally<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/246230/original/file-20181119-76144-1ggsm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Maxime Bernier speaks about his new political party during a news conference in Ottawa in September 2018.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>On a brisk November evening at a golf course in the Toronto suburb of Etobicoke, supporters of Canada’s newest federal political party, <a href="https://www.peoplespartyofcanada.ca/">the People’s Party of Canada (PPC)</a>, met for a rally hosted by its leader, Maxime Bernier. </p>
<p>Bernier has been embarking on a cross-country tour to publicize his newly founded right-wing party and to share his political message with voters ahead of the 2019 federal election. </p>
<p>The previous Calgary stop of Bernier’s tour included a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTT1GU_qqhs">speaking engagement at an event hosted by The Rebel Media</a>. In his speech, Bernier outlined his plan to limit the number of immigrants accepted to Canada, reform policies aimed at addressing climate change and eliminate government interventions impinging on free markets.</p>
<p>Bernier’s speech, which included targeted attacks against “radical multiculturalism,” climate change science and foreign aid, <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-maxime-bernier-goes-to-a-dark-place/">prompted political commentators</a> to compare <a href="https://www.thestar.com/opinion/star-columnists/2018/11/12/echoes-of-trump-resound-at-berniers-calgary-rally.html">Bernier to Donald Trump</a>.</p>
<p>The Etobicoke rally, held in the heart of what’s known as Ford Nation, represented one of Bernier’s first attempts to sell his brand of right-wing populism in Ontario. </p>
<p>More importantly, the rally provided an opportunity to gather first-hand insight into how Bernier is crafting his populist message to appeal to Canadians and the intersections between the People’s Party and far-right political movements.</p>
<h2>Unique ideological blend of populism</h2>
<p>Bernier’s self-reinvention into a populist is a recent development for the corporate lawyer-turned-politician from Québec. For the majority of his political career, Bernier has served as one of Canada’s most vocal and prominent libertarians, <a href="https://www.maximebernier.com/about">championing free-market economics and personal responsibility</a> within the ranks of the Conservative Party of Canada. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/246253/original/file-20181119-76150-bc08m8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/246253/original/file-20181119-76150-bc08m8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/246253/original/file-20181119-76150-bc08m8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=430&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/246253/original/file-20181119-76150-bc08m8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=430&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/246253/original/file-20181119-76150-bc08m8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=430&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/246253/original/file-20181119-76150-bc08m8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=540&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/246253/original/file-20181119-76150-bc08m8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=540&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/246253/original/file-20181119-76150-bc08m8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=540&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Bernier signs papers to make his party official in October 2018 in Gatineau, QC.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld</span></span>
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<p>This principled commitment to libertarianism is part of his new party’s ideology. During his speech in Etobicoke, Bernier made clear to his supporters that he does not believe in “big fat government” restricting their individual liberty and economic prosperity. </p>
<p>His libertarian ideology is clearly reflected in the <a href="https://www.peoplespartyofcanada.ca/platform">People’s Party platform</a> that includes scrapping Canada’s supply management system, ending all corporate subsidies, reducing the overall size of government and liberalizing both international and interprovincial trade.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/in-trade-war-with-trump-canada-should-stop-defending-the-indefensible-on-dairy-products-98127">In trade war with Trump, Canada should stop defending the indefensible on dairy products</a>
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<p>However, the People’s Party is not a purely libertarian party. Blended into Bernier’s rhetoric and the party’s platform are proposals that reflect the ideological tenets of a <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/populist-radical-right-parties-in-europe/244D86C50E6D1DC44C86C4D1D313F16D">populist radical right</a>, defined by a commitment to xenophobia. </p>
<p>Bernier has woven xenophobia and nativism into his appeals to Canadians <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-tory-mp-maxime-bernier-criticizes-trudeaus-extreme-multiculturalism/">by denouncing “extreme multiculturalism”</a> and stating a desire to institute a “Canada first” foreign policy that would see Canada reduce its commitments to humanitarian organizations and causes. </p>
<h2>Courting the support of the far right</h2>
<p>Bernier’s blending of his libertarian beliefs with an embrace of radical right-wing populism is aimed at Canada’s far right groups and supporters. </p>
<p>Among those in attendance at Bernier’s rally was controversial media figure and failed Toronto mayoral candidate, Faith Goldy. Goldy is well-known on the far right as an advocate for the conspiracy theory of white genocide and her attacks against Islamic culture and immigrants.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-ominous-third-place-finish-of-a-white-supremacist-in-toronto-104816">The ominous third-place finish of a white supremacist in Toronto</a>
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<p>Goldy’s attendance should come as no surprise. Bernier has courted the support of the far right as a way to generate initial public support and publicize his party in the lead-up to the 2019 election. </p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/246234/original/file-20181119-76160-5904fh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/246234/original/file-20181119-76160-5904fh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/246234/original/file-20181119-76160-5904fh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/246234/original/file-20181119-76160-5904fh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/246234/original/file-20181119-76160-5904fh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/246234/original/file-20181119-76160-5904fh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/246234/original/file-20181119-76160-5904fh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Faith Goldy is seen speaking outside Wilfrid Laurier University in March 2018 after her controversial appearance there was interrupted by a fire alarm.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Hannah Yoonblank</span></span>
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<p>Bernier has received <a href="https://www.therebel.media/mad-for-max-etobicoke-rally-attendees-cheer-bernier-s-conservative-values-speech">glowing coverage</a> from The Rebel Media, appearing at its events and being interviewed by its employees. The Rebel is closely associated with far right leaders and activists like Goldy and Gavin McInnes, leader of the misogynistic, pro-violence <a href="https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/group/proud-boys">Proud Boys</a>. </p>
<p>There’s no doubt Bernier is aware of these associations and is actively seeking to build a base for his party around The Rebel’s subscribers.</p>
<h2>Part of a global movement</h2>
<p>Bernier’s stance against “extreme multiculturalism” mirrors similar rhetoric used by radical right-wing populist parties in Europe. </p>
<p>These parties have <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1469-8129.2012.00550.x">found support by couching their opposition to multiculturalism and immigration within the language of liberalism and civic values</a>. In other words, instead of openly calling for racial or ethnic discrimination, these movements base their appeals to voters on civic values of tolerance, diversity and liberal citizenship as a way to justify excluding supposedly intolerant and reactionary immigrant populations and cultures. </p>
<p>This closely resembles the strategy currently being used by Bernier and his new party. The party explains its opposition to multiculturalism on the grounds that immigrants should be forced to adopt <a href="https://www.peoplespartyofcanada.ca/choosing_the_principled_alternative">“Canadian values”</a>, including a <a href="https://www.peoplespartyofcanada.ca/canada_s_immigration_policy_must_aim_to_fulfill_our_economic_needs">respect for the equality of men and women, tolerance for diversity and a respect for Canadian law</a>.</p>
<p>Bernier appears to be gathering support around other issues championed by the global far-right political movement. At the rally in Toronto, mentions of mainstream Canadian media outlets and journalists produced spontaneous chants of “fake news” among those in attendance. </p>
<p>The crowd was similarly enthused by condemnations of political correctness in Bernier’s speech. </p>
<p>What does it mean? </p>
<p>Firstly, it shows the far right movement does not stop at political borders and is very much alive and well in Canada.</p>
<p>Second, it appears that subscribers to far right ideas and beliefs may be viewing Bernier and the People’s Party of Canada as a viable pathway to mainstreaming their xenophobic and nationalistic beliefs in Canada. </p>
<h2>Crafting a narrative</h2>
<p>The final takeaway from Bernier’s rally is that he and his new party are attempting to suggest they represent an organic movement spreading across the country. </p>
<p>While the People’s Party of Canada is <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/editorials/why-the-liberal-party-is-rebranding-itself-as-a-movement/article29533876/">not the first Canadian political party to brand itself as a movement</a>, projecting this narrative of grassroots growth will play an important role in certifying the populist credentials of the party and attracting more supporters.</p>
<p>The party appears to be on track to run candidates in all federal ridings in 2019, and says it’s already established riding associations in <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/bernier-membership-podcast-1.4886079">101 of 338 electoral districts. It also says it’s recruited more than 30,000 founding members from across the country.</a> </p>
<p>The creation of riding associations shows Bernier is building the electoral infrastructure to run as a mainstream political party in the next federal election. </p>
<p>But no one should conflate the creation of riding associations and well-attended rallies as indicative of growing national support.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/poll-tracker-federal-poll-averages-and-seat-projections-1.4171977">Polling data collected by the CBC</a> indicates that the People’s Party currently has the support of 1.7 per cent of Canadians, and that if the election were held today, it could win one seat.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/246255/original/file-20181119-76147-vl84qn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/246255/original/file-20181119-76147-vl84qn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/246255/original/file-20181119-76147-vl84qn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=362&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/246255/original/file-20181119-76147-vl84qn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=362&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/246255/original/file-20181119-76147-vl84qn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=362&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/246255/original/file-20181119-76147-vl84qn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=455&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/246255/original/file-20181119-76147-vl84qn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=455&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/246255/original/file-20181119-76147-vl84qn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=455&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Conservative MP Kellie Leitch’s step to the far right didn’t work out so well for her when she ran for the leadership of the party. She’s announced she’s not running for re-election in 2019.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward</span></span>
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<p>These low polling numbers suggest that Bernier may be headed toward the <a href="https://www.macleans.ca/politics/ottawa/the-cautionary-tale-of-kellie-leitch/">same fate</a> as other recent right-wing politicians, like Kellie Leitch, who have attempted to integrate xenophobic and nationalist rhetoric into their appeals to Canadians. </p>
<p>Bernier will likely have to distance himself from the cultural and racially tinged components of his platform to generate the necessary support to win seats under Canada’s first-past-the-post electoral system. </p>
<p>Interestingly, unlike his appearance in Calgary, Bernier’s speech in Etobicoke did not include any discussion of “extreme” or “radical” multiculturalism, and the issue of immigration received only passing mention.</p>
<p>Time will tell if this omission is a shift away from xenophobic rhetoric for Bernier. Regardless, the People’s Party of Canada’s dual commitment to libertarianism and radical right-wing populism provides no straightforward path to electoral success. </p>
<p>Perhaps the party will be able to shave off votes from the Conservatives. But if Bernier allows it to be a conduit for xenophobia, nativism and white supremacy, his support will remain confined to the fringes of Canadian society.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/107051/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Brian Budd receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).</span></em></p>Maxime Bernier’s new political party may be able to swipe some votes from the Conservatives. But it’s going nowhere if he allows it to remain a conduit for xenophobia, nativism and white supremacy.Brian Budd, Ph.D Candidate, University of GuelphLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.