Home Tech Canada’s elections are about to have a problem for Elon Musk with the departure of Trudeau

Canada’s elections are about to have a problem for Elon Musk with the departure of Trudeau

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Canada's elections are about to have a problem for Elon Musk with the departure of Trudeau

tCanadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s decision this week to resign as head of the Liberal Party has set in motion a leadership race in the context of an imminent general election, which will be held amid political turmoil sparked by the party. America First by Donald Trump. Economic nationalism. It has also given Tesla CEO Elon Musk the opportunity to inject himself into another country’s political turmoil.

Since Trudeau’s resignation on Monday, Musk has repeatedly posted about Canadian politics on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter that he purchased in 2022 for $44 billion. He has praised clips of Pierre Poilievre, the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, while reveling in Trudeau’s downfall and mingling with Canadian right-wing influencers.

Trump and Musk have been promoting the idea of ​​Canada becoming part of the United States, something that all major Canadian party leaders, including Poilievre, have rejected. Trudeau posted Tuesday that “there is not even the slightest chance” that Trump’s proposal will become a reality.

“Girl, you’re not the governor of Canada anymore, so it doesn’t matter what you say,” Musk tweeted in response at midnight on Tuesday.

Musk’s posts are emblematic of his increasing attempts to influence global politics over the past year, during which he formed alliances with several right-wing populist leaders, amplified far-right influencers and obsessively expressed conservative grievances. After spending more than $200 million to support Donald Trump’s re-election campaign, he has also positioned himself as a key figure in shaping American political decisions and forcing foreign leaders to take his provocations seriously.

Outside the United States, most of Musk’s attention has been focused on the United Kingdom, where he recently reignited furor over a child sex abuse scandal while promoting anti-immigrant views and accusing Prime Minister Keir Starmer of being “complicit.” of rape.” of Great Britain.” Musk has also exerted his influence on the upcoming German elections. support the far-right, anti-immigration AfD party in an opinion piece and introducing its leader, Alice Weidel, in an interview broadcast live on its platform.

Musk’s intrusion into European politics has led leaders in the United Kingdom, France and Germany to speak out against his election interference and disinformation. Now it looks like it’s Canada’s turn to deal with the richest man in the world.

While Musk floats in the background, Trudeau’s Liberal Party will hold a leadership contest to replace him as prime minister and then likely call a general election soon after.

Pumping Poilievre

In a series of posts following Trudeau’s resignation, Musk expressed support for Poilievre, whose Conservative party is expected to dominate Canada’s elections after three successive Liberal governments. Musk’s posts to his more than 200 million followers have already drawn comments from a top party leader, in a sign of how he may become a growing factor as the country faces a year of political tumult.

“Elon Musk and other billionaires are backing Pierre Poilievre because if he wins, they will get richer,” Jagmeet Singh, leader of Canada’s leftist NDP, posted in response to Musk’s tweets.

When Poilievre was asked about Musk’s endorsement At a press conference Thursday, he responded that “it would be nice if we could convince Mr. Musk to open some of his factories here in Canada.” He also added a mention of Musk’s ambitions for space travel.

“My three-year-old son just told me he wants to go to Mars, so I guess Mr. Musk would be the right person to put him in touch with,” Poilievre said. “If I ever have the opportunity to meet Mr. Musk, what I would say is ‘how can we make this an economy where we bring hundreds of billions of dollars of investment to Canada?'”

Poilievre fits the mold of other conservative politicians who have attracted Musk. Once known as a combative, baby-faced MP who was nicknamed “Skippy” by other lawmakers, he has in recent years ditched his glasses and tie to adopt a more populist persona. Poilievre, born in Alberta, presents himself as an opponent of Trudeau’s “woke authoritarian agenda.” played with conspiratorial rhetoric about the “globalist elites” and promised to reduce immigration while blaming the Liberal Party for economic inflation.

Many of Poilievre’s talking points are reminiscent of ideas Musk could promote, including embracing cryptocurrency, cutting government funding, and creating a new punitive government position, a “guardian of free speech,” with the power to withhold government grants from universities that do not do so. Commit to protecting free speech on campuses. Poilievre also has supported the ban on trans women of women’s bathrooms, locker rooms and sports, and pledged to withdraw funding from Canada’s national public broadcaster and media.

Musk posted a 2023 clip of Poilievre eating an apple while dismissively answering questions from a local news editor, calling it a “masterpiece.” The billionaire also praised a video of Poilievre talking about cutting spending and inflation. In a third post, Musk tweeted “great interview” while sharing Poilievre’s opinion. talk to right-wing commentator Jordan Petersonin which the Conservative leader promised “the biggest crackdown on crime in Canadian history.” Poilievre’s interview with Peterson drew condemnation from both the Liberal Party and the NDP for the fact that it was sponsored by a US-based Christian anti-abortion group.

Polls prior to Trudeau’s resignation showed that the Conservative Party has a significant advantage and that Canada can shift significantly to the right this year, even with a survey last month which shows that only 37% of Canadians view Poilievre himself favorably.

Despite Musk’s endorsement, Poilievre may also face a balancing act over how closely to align with Trump, who remains a largely unpopular figure in Canada. A poll conducted during the US presidential race found that only 21% of Canadians supported Trump’s re-election, while a separate poll in November found that only About 19% of Canadians trust Musk’s opinion. about the politics of his country.

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Musk amplifies Canadian ideologues

As in the United States, many of the Canadian political accounts Musk associates with tend to be deferential influencers in the conservative media whom he amplifies to his millions of followers.

In a post this week, Musk shared a misleading claim about Trudeau from far-right media entrepreneur Ezra Levant that was later corrected by a community note. Levant publishes Rebel News, a website whose contributors include British anti-Islam extremist Tommy Robinson, Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes, and a former prominent commentator, golden faithwho was fired after appearing on a neo-Nazi podcast. Musk has also exchanged tweets with Canadian “alt-right” influencer and former Rebel Media host Lauren Southern, who rose to notoriety by creating anti-immigration videos on YouTube and promoting he white nationalist “Great Replacement” conspiracy theory.

Jordan Peterson is another Canadian touchstone for Musk. In addition to sharing Peterson’s interview with Poilievre and occasionally exchanging tweets, Musk appeared on Peterson’s show last year, during which the tech mogul claimed that his trans son was “dead” and “killed by the HIV virus.” mind awake” after receiving gender-affirming care. . Vivian Wilson, Musk’s transgender daughter, responded that his characterization was false and that he was an absent father.

Musk also frequently interacts on

“I read your insightful book on the parasitic virus of the awakened mind,” Musk tweeted to Saad last year. “It gave me nightmares.”

Musk celebrates Trudeau’s resignation

While Musk posted endorsements of Poilievre, he also reveled in Trudeau’s downfall. On Wednesday, he shared a meme of an AI-generated Donald Trump playing a sad violin in the background of Trudeau’s resignation speech, and responded to his own old tweets predicting Trudeau would lose power.

Musk has expressed his opposition to Trudeau several times in recent years over issues such as Covid safety restrictions, notably sharing a meme in 2022 that compared Trudeau to Hitler. Musk later deleted his tweet after the condemnation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Holocaust museum, but in December he again called for Trudeau’s political overthrow.

Trudeau has been a target of right-wing media since long before Musk’s attacks, with far-right commentators like former Fox News host Tucker Carlson dedicating segments portraying the prime minister as some kind of socialist dictator and Canada as a dystopian hell.

Within Canada, the causes of Trudeau’s resignation are more complex. While he maintained a progressive sheen internationally, many Canadians across the political spectrum came to find Trudeau’s personality cloying and hypocritical. domestic scandals. Meanwhile, rising costs of living and inflation along with fatigue over liberal minority governments he lost important support for his party. The recent collapse of his cabinet, failures in last year’s by-elections and threats of a vote of no confidence ended up being the death knell for his leadership.

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