It was Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s YouTube videos that caught the attention of Joshua Deslandes, a University of Toronto student studying economics and political science.
“He really inspired me to become a Conservative. I loved the message. I loved the whole branding. I really love the Conservative Party,” the 19-year-old said at the congress of Conservatives in Ottawa last week.
“I bought a subscription and I’m really engaging, meeting MPs, talking to people, and it’s just a lot of fun.”
Deslandes is one of the newest members of the Conservative Party of Canada – a young person of color who says he was drawn to a positive message about the future.
Poilievre became the new leader last week after winning two-thirds of the vote – a level of party support that even former Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper did not enjoy.
Tina Park, a lecturer in Canadian nationalism at the University of Toronto, said Poilievre’s appeal to young voters is partly driven by his social media and communications strategies — and the fact that he is a relatively young face in Canadian politics.
“If you listen to his speeches, it’s very direct, very simple and very relevant to young people who are struggling with inflation, who find themselves unable to buy a house because things are just too expensive. for them,” Park said.
“Some of his posts are very extreme, to be honest, but in a way that satisfies a certain appetite of the Canadian public for change and an alternative vision that could move them forward and help them plan a new coming.”
Park said that as Canadians battle pandemic-induced inflation and global supply chain issues, many are being forced to cut spending.
“Because of the economic pressure they are facing, we as human beings always tend to turn to the other side when you think the current system is not working for you,” he said. she declared. “Especially younger people in their thirties who are looking to start a family and then move on to the next stage of their lives, [they] find a new kind of vision in Mr. Poilievre.
Park said while the Conservative Party sees a diverse group of young people joining, it has always had a core of BIPOC members (black, indigenous and people of color), especially recent immigrants.
Sufiyan Master, a 21-year-old Montrealer and new member of the Conservative Party, said he hadn’t seen himself in the party until recently.
“I had never thought about politics before…simply because it’s a thought that seems so out of reach to me,” said
“As the sons of a Muslim immigrant, we always leaned towards the Liberal Party. It was just something that felt like home – felt like it represented our values. But I think we, as As minorities, we have this misperception, a misunderstanding of the different visions that different parties can come to the table and offer.
“Right now it’s about thinking about the future of Canada and how the past few years have been handled. It’s pretty obvious that not many people agree with what’s going on.”
As more BIPOC individuals take on party roles, this new diversity is also helping to attract others, said Aderoju Alao, director of communications for the Association of Black Conservatives.
“For Black, it looks like we finally have a chance at the table [to] make our voices heard,” she said.
Alao, who is based in Edmonton, said her group has seen more and more BIPOCs and young people taking an interest in conservative parties across the country.
Conservatives have also reached out to minority communities and recent immigrants and with policies designed specifically for them, she said.
“It may be better, but they’re making this effort to make sure they’re reaching as many diverse populations that exist in their areas,” Alao said.
“In the past – and I’m not saying this categorically – given the history of the Conservative Party, the public believes that the BIPOC community cannot be represented in the Conservatives. But we are entering a new era.”
Jeff Yang, 31, said he sees this happening. He once considered himself a liberal – he even campaigned for Justin Trudeau when he was in his twenties.
More recently, Yang — who works in financial services in Toronto — campaigned for Poilievre. He says he’s noticed that many young people he talks to are now interested in the Conservatives.
“I saw that for Mr. Trudeau’s campaign when he first ran for prime minister. There was a lot of youth support for Liberal MP candidates,” he said. declared.
“That tells you that this party has a lot of support at the ground and grassroots level and that gives it a good chance of winning an election.
“If you look from the other side of the coin, the stereotype is that it’s usually old white people who are conservative. But I see a lot of non-white people coming out to support conservatives.”
Three young people explain why they decided to become members of the Conservative Party at the recent convention in Ottawa.
“Coffeeaholic. Lifelong alcohol fanatic. Typical travel expert. Prone to fits of apathy. Internet trailblazer.”