Some have drawn attention to a comment made by Conservative leader-elect Pierre Poalievre as he appeared as a guest on a podcast by controversial psychologist Jordan Peterson in an episode released Tuesday.
“I believe in the use of simple Anglo-Saxon words that strike exactly the meaning I am trying to convey,” Poalievre said in an interview. “And that’s why I say things that people say, ‘Yeah, that actually makes sense.'”
Some point out that the term was used by far-right people to distinguish white people from immigrants and people of color.
“This is a way to separate those who are white in Canada, who are white Anglo-Saxons, from everyone else, and certainly [from] the racial segment of society, “Farid Hahn, founder of Canadians United Against Hate, told CTV News.
When far-right Republicans in the United States, including Marjorie Taylor Green and Matt Goetz last year, were linked to an expired document promising “America first” to return to “Anglo-Saxon political traditions”, the response was swift, with even the Republican leader in the House Kevin McCarthy shouts “nativist dog whistles” to representatives.
And the organizer of the Ottawa truckers’ protests, Pat King, also used the term to warn of a conspiracy to replace white people – a common lie of the white race, often used to justify hostility or violence against immigrants.
“There is a final game called the depopulation of the Caucasian or Anglo-Saxon race,” King said in a live broadcast. “And that is the goal of depopulating the Anglo-Saxon race.”
But Poilievre’s comments on the economy have also drawn criticism.
In a debate over the Conservative leadership in Edmonton last week, Poalievre said he would “fire the governor of the central bank” if he became leader.
A Conservative MP said the remark was worrying.
“I am deeply concerned by the suggestions of one of our candidates for leadership that this candidate will be ready to intervene at this stage in the independence of our central bank,” Ed Fast said on Wednesday.
Hours later, Fast resigned as a critic of party finances in support of another candidate for leadership, former Quebec Prime Minister Jean Charest.
Another potential blow to the road is encouraging Poilievre for Canadians to use volatile cryptocurrencies.
He has a personal interest in digital currencies, holding about $ 10,000 in a bitcoin fund that, like many cryptocurrencies, has fallen nearly 40 percent in the past six months.
The ethics commissioner told Poilievre he was free to promote cryptocurrencies, but an ethics watchdog said it could be a conflict.
“It’s obviously unethical for MPs to have investments and then push for changes that will help those investments,” Duff Conacher of Democracy Watch in Toronto told CTV News.
And on Wednesday, Poalievre responded to a report that one of his supporters had sent a racist email to another leadership campaign, issuing a statement saying, “If you’re a racist, I don’t want your vote.”
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