Opinion: Pierre Poilievre and his Manitoba polling bromance

You may have noticed, based on the most recent poll, that a majority of decided Manitoba voters are casting their lot with the Trump-like populism of the federal Conservative Party.

Well, let me rephrase that — a significant majority of Manitoba men are ready to vote conservative.

Because when you take a closer look at the poll, it’s men not women who are giving the Conservatives the lead. Decided women voters, it turns out, are fairly evenly split between the Liberals and Tories with the NDP running third.

JUSTIN TANG / THE CANADIAN PRESS

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre holds a news conference in a hotel ballroom in Ottawa on Dec. 1.

So why is that? Why are men and not women flocking to the Conservatives in such large numbers? What is it that these men like about Poilievre and don’t like about Trudeau or Singh?

I could think of a few speculative answers to that question but my aim here is not to alienate the guys in the room, but rather to appeal to them, based on the facts, to rethink their political choice.

So let’s assume the men in this cohort have at least one woman in their lives — a mother, a wife, a sister or a child — and that they want what’s best for that relative.

Let’s also agree that, like 90 per cent of us, they support universal health care and most believe climate change is real. The latter being a pretty safe bet, given that some 80 per cent of Canadians believe climate change is driving extreme weather, and as many as 75 per cent agree it’s due to human activity.

Finally, let’s assume that all of these men love their kids and grandkids, if they have any, and want what’s best for them, and that a number of them may be struggling to make ends meet in a price-gouging economy.

Now, supposing all of that to be true, then all the men out there who are conservative supporters might want to consider what the Conservative Party has voted against in the last few years that will impact them, their kids and the women they love.

Let’s start with your kids. Perhaps you don’t know that the Conservatives recently voted against the Liberal’s $10 a day childcare support program, as well as a national food program for schools and funding for a kids hotline.

They also voted against a dental plan for seniors and have threatened to cut other key services.

You might also be surprised to learn that the Conservatives voted against government support to end gender-based violence and have repeatedly voted “no” to a woman’s right to choose.

In fact, 74 per cent of the Conservative caucus is anti-choice, according to a national rights coalition.

The Tories also appear to be gung-ho on guns, having voted against stronger gun control, and don’t seem too worried about the rural vote, given that they just rejected support for Canadian farmers.

And what of the Conservative leader’s election promises?

Well, Poilievre has promised to “lay waste” to the Liberal’s climate and energy policies. To that end, he has promised that oil tankers will once again prowl the coast off northern B.C., the carbon tax will be axed, and emission caps will go the way of the dodo bird. Worse still, he has no clear alternative plan to reduce emissions.

All of this while other countries are in the midst of a green energy transition. Which means that our economy, including the creation of new green jobs, will lag behind other nations that are busy investing in clean energy.

If that wasn’t bad enough, Poilievre has consistently refused to undergo a security clearance. As a result, he can’t be briefed on classified information, including that pertaining to Conservative MPs — himself included — who may, wittingly or unwittingly, be linked to foreign interference schemes.

Read here, the American Republican Party, Musk, Putin and other foreign players.

Why is he refusing? Well, according to Poilievre, allowing a security check would compromise his ability to critique the government’s actions on limiting foreign election interference.

And if you believe that, I also have bridge in Brooklyn I can sell you.

Finally, and perhaps most egregiously, Poilievre has thrown Canadians under the bus by parroting Trump’s false claims that Canada is exporting huge amounts fentanyl into the U.S. A fiction concocted by Trump to justify his threat to impose a 25 per cent tariff on all Canadian goods.

And if that doesn’t sway you, consider this: We Manitobans just rejected the provincial conservatives after an eight year austerity program that gutted our health-care system, denied workers a living wage and did less than nothing to address climate change.

Now consider that on a national scale.

If that doesn’t convince you to ditch your bromance with Poilievre then I guess nothing will.

Erna Buffie is a writer and filmmaker. Read more @ https://www.ernabuffie.com/