Commentary
Before Justin Trudeau became Prime Minister of Canada, he released a lengthy video on his “sunny ways” philosophy. While those two words quickly became Trudeau’s trademark, the video detailed how the phrase actually came from Wilfird Laurier, who had served as Liberal PM of Canada a century earlier.
It was a whimsical video full of cartoon images that told a narrative about the history of the country and Trudeau’s vision for it. The video—and the announcement of the “sunny ways” agenda—received a great deal of attention at the time.
The Liberal Party was at that point in third place in the polls, and the video was one of the ways Trudeau set himself apart as different from his opponents. While it had a playful tone, it was also taken seriously, both for being something longer than a soundbite and for being a meditation on the state of the nation.
That was Trudeau’s video. Now, eight years later, it’s time for Pierre Poilievre’s video.
The opposition leader is riding high in the polls, which say that if an election were held today the Conservatives would win with a landslide and Poilievre would command a majority government. A lot can happen in 18 months though, which is around when voters will next cast their ballots.
That’s no doubt why Poilievre is still working hard to connect with voters. One of the more creative ways he’s done that is via the release of a video that the Conservatives have labelled “Housing hell: How we got here and how we get out.”
The 15-minute video has, at the time of this writing, generated 5 million views. It’s a deep dive into the issue of rising rents, mortgage rates, and the cost of buying a home. It’s full of charts, graphs, and quotes from reports, all the while animated by clips from non-partisan voices speaking on television programs.
It begins by articulating the problem and speaking to the personal experience of Canadians. There will be few people who don’t at some point find themselves nodding along at seeing their own lives and struggles reflected in the story.
It’s only halfway through that the video begins to lay blame for the situation squarely at the feet of Justin Trudeau. And it’s only at the end that Poilievre—who does the voiceover from beginning to end—is actually shown on camera.
It’s a very soft sell. It’s also the exact opposite of a partisan soundbite talking point. Canadians who tune out the mudslinging that comes out of Question Period and the political arena will stay tuned into this video for how it calmly discusses a real issue in meaningful terms.
The whole production shows respect for the voter, by moving beyond talking points and aiming for substance. While people may quibble with some of Poilievre’s explanation of the issue, there’s no denying it’s an earnest and serious conversation. And that’s exactly what we need more of in Canada.
Poilievre also now owns the housing issue more than any other politician in Canada. That’s because of how thoroughly and clearly he defines the issue. While Canadians currently read a lot of headlines about the “housing crisis,” nobody until now has unpacked what that phrase actually means and the full extent of what this crisis is and how it came about.
It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out. Right now, housing is the hot issue. Will it continue to be? It may cool down a little as interest rates lower slightly in the coming months. Regardless, Poilievre has chalked up a win as the leader who can speak meaningfully about an issue that transcends partisan politics. The ability to make people think in turn means you earn their respect. There will be spin-over benefits for Poilievre even if the issue itself wanes.
Poilievre has become known for criticizing the media for their biased approach to covering politics. The video has received more views than the audience of all of Canada’s major evening newscasts combined. This could just be the beginning of such long-form videos from Poilievre that go directly to the public.
Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
