Liberals borrow 'weird' tactic from Democrats in latest attack on Pierre Poilievre

In a bid to import what some might call American-style politics, the Liberals are labelling federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre «weird» with a new line of attack borrowed from the United States Democrats.

The slight, which Vice-President Kamala Harris and other Democrats have been using to some effect against former president Donald Trump and running mate J.D. Vance in recent days, has spawned myriad reactions and think-pieces south of the border.

Its effect in Canadian political circles is less clear, though it has at least provoked a response from the Conservatives. In a nutshell: You think our guy's weird? Well, yours is weirder.

The Canadian weird-a-thon began late last week, when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau posted on the X platform that Poilievre needs to «touch grass,» or reconnect with reality, after the Conservative leader accused him of admiring communist dictatorships.

Poilievre's dig was a reference to comments Trudeau made in 2013, before he was prime minister, when he said he admired China's «basic dictatorship» because it allowed the Chinese to «turn their economy around on a dime.»

Several Liberals MPs, including one cabinet minister, quickly took things a step further. In response to a social media attack from Poilievre, Housing Minister Sean Fraser on Thursday accused him on X of «using incel hashtags to find friends online, begging for the attention of the far-right, and posting weird wood videos.»

In 2022, Global News reported that Poilievre's YouTube videos were being promoted using a hidden hashtag tied to the «incel» movement — composed of people who claim to be «involuntary celibates» and often have misogynist views. Poilievre's office said he was unaware the tags existed. The «wood video» jab