“The Soundbite and the Snake Oil”
In the year 2025, political literacy has been reduced to a TikTok attention span and the average voter is now expected to decode global trade policy in between ads for protein powder and VPNs. Enter Pierre Poilievre, Canada’s very own algorithmic populist, who recently declared victory over tariffs that didn’t even apply to us. “Why didn’t they remove tariffs on Canada?” he thunders, eyebrows clenched, finger stabbing at some imaginary Trudeau ghost. The crowd roars. The clip goes viral. Nobody checks the footnotes. Well, here’s the boring reality: Canada wasn’t hit with the reciprocal tariffs Trump just suspended. Why? Because they were never applied to Canada in the first place. These were April 2 specials—aimed at, well, most of planet Earth. The usual suspects. Everyone from Asia to Europe to South America got hit. Canada? Not on the guest list. Meanwhile, the real trade obstacles—Trump’s separate steel, aluminum, and auto tariffs—are still very much alive, looming over Windsor like a damn thundercloud. But nuance is boring. Context doesn’t trend.
While Poilievre scripts his media hits tighter than a Netflix true crime doc, Mark Carney does his press conferences live. Unfiltered. No handlers in his earpiece whispering “pivot back to inflation!” If he stumbles, he stumbles in public. Because actual leadership isn’t supposed to be a performance—it’s a process. One that involves answering actual questions in real time, not hiding behind a curated digital fortress. Yes, Carney might drop a stat, or hell, even fumble a French verb mid-sentence. But at least it’s him doing it—not some backroom ventriloquist with a social media degree. Poilievre, meanwhile, doesn’t answer questions. He performs monologues. If Carney is playing chess with Trump, Poilievre is playing Mad Libs with your attention span. And look—we get it. The electorate is tired. Between inflation, housing, and watching the planet roast like a rotisserie chicken, people don’t have time to cross-reference tariff policy with international trade law. But here’s the ask: Please. Listen past the soundbite. Ask what’s not being said. Look at who’s being allowed to skate, and who’s being grilled for breathing wrong. Because when one guy’s feeding you catchphrases and the other’s braving the minefield of live accountability, the difference isn’t just stylistic—it’s moral.
And if we don’t start listening with our heads instead of just our scrolling thumbs, we may wake up to a country where the truth doesn’t just get ignored—it gets outlawed. .
All because we confused the loudest guy in the room with the smartest. Again.
Nancy's Notes 