Greg Brady@gregbradyx
I am ready weigh in on the Pierre Poilievre visit to the Joe Rogan Experience. It may not be what you expect:
1. I was stunned at the tactic of not being critical of Mark Carney or how he's handling some hugely complex issues in Year 1 as our Prime Minister. That said, what a tactic. It shows a tremendous respect for how competition goes - you sometimes see it in sports, despite the fact we often revere athletes who cross lines & have a "win-at-all-costs" mentality - in this case, how can the strategy (being "strategic" isn't a criticism) be dumped on? Carney, it should be noted, didn't offer the same grace on Jon Stewart's show 13 months ago when he made up a ludicrous narrative about Poilievre's policy as the COVID pandemic began (he wasn't in government, nor was he CPC leader, even, at that point) - facts Carney conveniently left out, by design.
2. I thought he came in with a clear game plan to look through the front windshield of the car, & not the rear-view mirror. There is plenty to peck away at when any government's run the show for 8 years, 10 years, 12 years - without being explicitly critical, Poilievre laid out a case for, simply, a better way forward > unlock natural resources, don't just cut but obliterate red tape, & focus on intelligence & innovation.
3) "Canada is broken". Did that slogan fit for a moment in time? Maybe so, but it always had potential to be deemed negative, & certainly misinterpreted. Anyone listening to Rogan/Pierre would note - not only is that not said, but there's no inference that we have a problem we can't fix if we just decide we want to (& it only takes thousand of votes in a dozen ridings to do so - with the NDP at 2.7 percent in Ajax - I needed/need a mere 5,500 people to vote differently next time in a riding of 97,000 eligible voters. I'm hardly alone.
4) Indisputable that Pierre sounded like a very proud Canadian. I like that. We all SHOULD. I don't care who you are or what your beliefs are - if you go anywhere abroad, let alone spend 2+ hours on North America's most popular podcast, singing loudly about our heritage and traditions and potential will always win me over. Not everyone feels this way, & that's concerning - but I still think that's a very loud & shrill tiny minority that doesn't beam with pride when anyone reps us well south of the border.
5) This sounded like an optimistic man - far from a beaten man. Losing hurts. I hurt for quite a while after my run in Ajax. It's now the time of the year when the campaign started & the tough feelings are going to hit hard the next 5-6 weeks. Boo hoo. Those are mine & I will deal with them & push through. If Poilievre is still wounded from Election Night - you'd simply never know it. No sign in 140+ minutes of conversation that he's struggling, he's bitter, that he doubts himself - that's what I totally expected from knowing him now as I do.
6) He handled the Trump questions masterfully. When Rogan asked Trump’s controversial remarks regarding Canada becoming the 51st state, Poilievre was firm but measured. He defended Canadian sovereignty without sounding hysterical, using the phrase "Canada is not for sale" to assert national pride. Slam dunk.
7) I think we typecast so many people in the public eye. We define them, we box them in, & it just keeps life simple. I tell everyone I come across, & I can speak authentically because of two damned true things - A) I'm not a lifelong Conservative. I see strains of 80s Conservatism (I was too young to vote from all of the 80s & bit of the 90s) in the current Federal Liberals (far less so in the Ontario Liberals, I should note) & I want to be involved with a party that stands up for workers, cares about structure, will only police speech in very, very exceptional (& threatening) circumstances, & will let people live their lives as they see fit.
I say all that to note, Pierre has evolved. How could he not? How are any of us the same person we were 5-10 years ago? From running in the Federal Election & having 26,000+ people mark an "X" beside my name (up from 13,200 the prior Election)....it changes you. More pride, more reflection, more humility, more confidence.
I've never told the story of two things happening - and I owe all of this story arc of my life to Pierre Poilievre & Melissa Lantsman.
Melissa was the first Conservative MP I told of my intentions - that we needed a change in Ajax & if I wasn't the only one who could win the seat there, I was one of a small group. She was awesome, is awesome - & I'm forever grateful for her belief in me. Massive fan.
Pierre, I approached, on a busy morning after a radio chat w/ my colleague Alex Pierson - & I said exactly the same thing. I think we can make a huge run in Ajax (this was maybe 14-15 months before an Election that, at the time, was still supposed to be Fall 2025, so I was sure I had 19-20 months to be as organized as I could be). Pierre's response to me - "well, this is great news". And at the time....I wasn't even sure it was!
All of this may happen, all of it may not. I am sure he's the Prime Minister we need, & I'm MORE sure because he's handled everything with such dignity, & class, & perspective, intelligence, & thoughtfulness ("intelligent" and "thoughtful" don't always match up together!).
I thought he gave an impassioned, energetic, balanced, & reasonable perspective on where Canada is at, why we matter so much (to each other & to the world), & he's still up for the job - & for at least 20-24 months on end, the country seemed ready & certain to promote him to.
That's that. Shouldn't be hard to find the link! Have a great weekend, all!
