ANALYSIS: American-Style Politics at Play in Canada as the ‘Weird’ Strategy Takes Hold

Canadian and American flags fly near the Ambassador Bridge at the Canada-U.S. border crossing in Windsor, Ont., on March 21, 2020. The Canadian Press/Rob Gurdebeke

Importing political attack methods and even certain derogatory words from south of the border is becoming more frequent, but is it effective for Canadian parties?

The latest trend has seen Liberal MPs and cabinet ministers accuse Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of being “weird,” echoing a strategy used by the Democrats in the United States. Some Tory MPs have in turn retorted with the same term, sharing policy items, quotes, or photos of the Liberals on social media and characterizing them as “weird.”