Nagar: Political parties leverage emotions in the lead up to federal election
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A question on the minds of Canadians is whether this election will be won on fear of the resurgence of the novel coronavirus or the hope of getting back the pre-pandemic era.
The country’s three largest political parties are utilizing different strategies to instigate emotional responses. On the centre-left are the Liberals, who claim to have saved Canadians from the menace of COVID-19. Further left are the NDP, who accuse Trudeau of calling a “selfish election.” On the right are the Tories, who have presented a platform surprisingly with spending in the billions.
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Nova Scotians have provided the most recent political case study on why campaigns matter. It reminds us of the famous example of the post war British election. Winston Churchill steered his country well and won the war, but lost the post-war election.
In Nova Scotia, Iain Rankin inherited a government that by most accounts navigated the pandemic well, but a number of campaign blunders helped sink the Liberal ship on election day. Meanwhile, the Progressive Conservatives promised hundreds of millions in new health care spending and won the election.
Federal Conservative leader Erin O’Toole’s stance on the carbon tax, and the carbon pricing mechanism that he introduced, left many conservative members more perplexed than ever before. His climate plan is an improvement on past efforts, but has not been well received by grassroots Tories including some in his own caucus. It has especially angered western conservatives.
In Alberta, the United Conservative Party is unpopular with many Albertans, according to recent opinion polls. The way the UCP has run the province since the commencement of the COVID pandemic has not been well received by the Albertans.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is very popular among the South Asians in Canada, in particular with Sikhs and Muslims from those countries. Many of them live in the northeast quadrant of Calgary, with a significant concentration in the federal riding of Calgary Skyview.
When the Liberals won Calgary Skyview in 2015, widespread dissatisfaction with Prime Minister Stephen Harper was one reason why, but the provincial wrath against the Progressive Conservatives was at its peak. Conservative voters stayed home and Liberal supporters turned out.
Similar circumstances are materializing in 2021. Trudeau’s popularity among the immigrant communities and measures taken by the federal government during the pandemic are important factors in this election. Calgary Skyview is the most winnable seat in Alberta for the Liberals, and it is meaningful that their leader has marked his presence here twice in as many months.
When Liberal Leader Trudeau was in Skyview at an August 19 rally for Liberal Candidate George Chahal, he took aim at Tory leader O’Toole over child-care funding but spent much more time targeting Alberta Premier Jason Kenney’s management of the pandemic and his record on climate policies. His overwhelming message? “Conservative governments will fail you.” Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland has a pending visit to her home province of Alberta to support local candidates.
In addition to Skyview, the Liberals have also set their eyes on Edmonton Centre and Edmonton Mill Woods. Independent pollster and Calgary-based political commentator Janet Brown says it is possible that the Liberals could break through in about five ridings in Alberta. These ridings are home to a significant number of Canadians who are part of the Liberal coalition — working parents, students and immigrants. It is also entirely possible that the NDP could add to their seat count by taking Edmonton Griesbach from the Conservatives as NDP leader Jagmeet Singh spent a day campaigning in Edmonton.
There is much to criticize in the federal response to COVID-19, but in the key area of emergency financial support, the Liberals got it right. The Liberals stumbled on procurement, but rallied for a successful delivery phase, giving millions of Canadians hope for life after the pandemic.
People tend to focus on what comes next, whether that be hope for the post-pandemic age or fear of the next wave. Hope and fear are powerful emotions. Political parties will do everything they can to leverage emotions in the lead up to a September 20 election.
Rishi Nagar is the news director at Red FM 106.7 in Calgary and a member of the City of Calgary’s Anti-Racism Action Committee and the Calgary Police Service’s Anti-Racism Committee.
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