Pierre Poilievre is Canada’s Trump – and that should terrify us
By Lethbridge Herald on February 14, 2025.
Gerry Chidiac – TROY MEDIA
Martin Niemöller was a Lutheran pastor who initially supported the Nazi rise to power. As he watched what was happening around him, he began to openly oppose the regime. As a result, he spent years in Dachau and other concentration camps. After his liberation, he made numerous speeches about his experience and is best known for the following quote:
First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist
Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist
Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist
Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew
Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me
The message is clear: when a leader targets any group, it is dangerous for everyone. In a healthy society, we challenge ideas, but we do not attack people. When a movement singles out a particular group, we must take notice. We do not know who their next target will be—it may even be us.
This is evident in Donald Trump’s rhetoric. When he first took office as president in 2017, he targeted Muslims. Then he attacked protesters calling for racial equality. After returning to office in 2025, he immediately began attacking the human rights of transgender people and immigrants. He has even threatened the sovereignty of Canada.
The danger of Trump’s policies is clear. Not only is he doing great harm to good people, but he may also be contributing to the demise of his own country.
Niemöller’s words should serve as a warning to every society. In Canada, the once dignified Conservative Party has engaged in disturbing discourse since Pierre Poilievre took the reins. While Poilievre did what opposition politicians are supposed to do when he rightfully condemned Justin Trudeau’s misuse of the Emergencies Act during the COVID-19 pandemic, he has continually used meaningless terms like “woke agenda” to attack his opponents.
He has also given unquestioning support to the State of Israel during its assault on Gaza, refused to engage in dialogue on the issue and has threatened the free speech of those who question Israeli actions.
Poilievre’s response since Trump began threatening Canada has also been concerning. Instead of uniting with other Canadian leaders to defend the country, he has chosen to attack the most marginalized and vulnerable groups in our society.
In a recent CTV interview, he stated: “I’m not aware of any other genders than men and women. If there are any others you’d like me to consider, you’re welcome to tell me right now.” After the reporter did so, Poilievre doubled down on the Trump-like rhetoric and then changed the subject.
I love our Canadian democracy. What makes our country great is that we can respectfully challenge each other’s ideas and move our government forward in a way that makes society both kinder and more effective.
For most of my life, I have engaged with Conservative members of Parliament in open, respectful dialogue. It was possible to have amicable, even casual encounters—sometimes over a cup of coffee in a local restaurant. But since Poilievre took over the party, my few interactions have been tense.
Poilievre is simply the worst and most un-Canadian Conservative Party leader I have ever known.
He has gone after gender non-conforming Canadians, pro-Palestine protesters and many others. Who will be next on his “anti-woke” list?
Now more than ever, Canadians need to come together and stand up for one another. Poilievre has shown us exactly who he is—and he is not the leader who will unite us in this time of crisis.
Gerry Chidiac specializes in languages and genocide studies and works with at-risk students. He received an award from the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre for excellence in teaching about the Holocaust.The views, opinions and positions expressed by all Troy Media columnists and contributors are the author’s alone. They do not inherently or expressly reflect the views, opinions and/or positions of Troy Media.
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The Marxist wokeism has destroyed and divided our country, which is what the those funding the post secondary institution professors to do. China and other foreign actors such as Qatar, fund these institutions and want to sway Canada’s young minds towards these Marxist woke ideas to destroy the country within, one of Hitlers tactics to weaken a country from within without military force.
Poilievre is far from being like Trump! Trump is a thug from New York, with mafia buddys he dealt with in his real estate trades and appears to be a full blown white supremist and from the lawsuits, rapist. He has surrounded himself with the white supremists. I would be very careful making false allegations during an election year.
The NDP/Liberals have destroyed country and divided it! So has the wokeist progressive ideas! They have allowed foreign influence to flourish in our post secondary institutions, allowing groups to take over the university grounds and city streets screaming genocide to the Jews, death to Israel, death to Canada and burn our Canadian flag and if you are supposed to stand against genocide and hate speech, where were you? Where were you?
No politician will be the perfect choice, but in such turbulent times, when our country is in shambles, the NDP/Liberal government have proven they are part of the problem. There is no comparison between Poilievre and Trump.
Agree re: Trump, but, this also brings back memories, for me, re: my now 90-something Alberta relatives who are still alive and the others now passed on, who still, hold/held the 1940s communism fears, and still believe that the NDP, for example, are communists. And those terrible children and grandchildren who went to university and were tainted with becoming educated and aware of ultra right wing neo-liberalism, fascism, authoritarians, dictators, etc.? As those of some of us of Dutch background have said,”Schandalig!”
The Poilievre Conservatives will not, get, my vote, and it appears, that folks now, are willing to hold their noses to vote for the Liberals now, that Trudeau will be gone. What, again, is not understood by many, is that we no longer have the Peter Lougheed style of progressive conservatism, neither in Alberta, nor, federally. It has changed. Now it’s ultra right wing fascist tendencies, authoritarianism, libertarianism….Extremes either way, right wing and left wing are problems. Who would best, and successfully, defend the middle of the road?
The word on the street is that Poilievre is toast and has put in his application to become the CEO of the Canada West Foundation, a separatist right wing organization that birthed Danielle Smith.
I serious concerns when I read this and his statements and then read who the author is supposed to portray:
Gerry Chidiac specializes in languages and genocide studies and works with at-risk students. He received an award from the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre for excellence in teaching about the Holocaust.
“He has also given unquestioning support to the State of Israel during its assault on Gaza, refused to engage in dialogue on the issue and has threatened the free speech of those who question Israeli actions”
“He has gone after gender non-conforming Canadians, pro-Palestine protesters and many others”
Your opinions stated appear to conflict with what the statement of who you are supposed to be. What exactly did were your genocide studies? I would give you a failing grade from your statements in this letter of opinion.
Facts for you:
Many people are unaware that Gaza served as the world’s largest terrorist
training base, teaching children to hate Jews from birth. They were taught to wear use suicide vests, how to hate Jews, and how to use guns and team tactics during special camps/summer camps. Most of this occurred when the children were between the ages of 4 and 12. Their training advanced over time, along with military training all while the UNRWA textbooks taught them to detest and murder Jews in UNRWA classrooms.
Hitler’s Mein Kampt was discovered in one of the schools and in numerous locations where Hamas was active. Every school, hospital, and mosque was armed, and the majority of them had underground tunnels and other infrastructure constructed specifically for attacking Israel!
While some women and children acted as lookouts, others assisted their men in attacking Israeli soldiers by providing them with food and ammunition.
The residents of Gaza were already experiencing food shortages/hunger prior to the attack on Israel, while hundreds of kilometers of tunnels and underground facilities were constructed with billions of dollars given from the international community to provide food, housing, medical care, and other necessities for the people. Hamas was armed and those tunnels were constructed with some of the Canadian funds!
To kill defenseless, non-combatant men, women, and children, rape, and torture them in ways that only devils could, slashing wombs of women alive to rip out and kill their child and inside weapons inside body cavities and firing them, etc., and then bring some of those bodies and hostages to Gaza for “pay for slay” awards, treating them like hunted animals.
If hunters treated wild animals they were hunting in Alberta like this, they would be incarcerated and there would be loud outcries for justice for the wildlife.
For someone who purports to stand for justice against genocide, you failed by supporting pro-Palestinian protests which some of the funding comes for terrorist groups and from Qatar who funds Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood and by doing so funds terrorism. Israel is indigenous to the region and never asked for the war and the United Nations failed in multiple ways, so your comments I find to be antisemitic, which is racist!
I just read the bio on this author and it all makes sense now. He says he is a German Arab and his comments all side with the plight of the Gazan’s. He calls the Israeli’s settlers, yet their history goes back thousands of years across the region. A reminder that in an effort for peace, Israel gave up Gaza years ago. The Palestinians were offered a two state solution several times, but refused, vowing to remove the Jews. The Mosque in Jerusalem was built on an area where not just one, but two Jewish Temples existed, long before there was a religion called Islam. Mohammad was never in Jerusalem.
My husband and I served in the Middle East and the Former Yugoslavia and witness true genocide. We also earned respect for the Israelis, who have Arabs and Christians in their Kinneset who govern. Apartheid was noticed when we entered the West Bank back then, even in Bethlehem, not in Jerusalem or Haifa. Your own bio online is filled with disinformaton.
The author is just another Gazan propaganda machine!