Canadians listening to ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’ should press pause and consider the episode’s implications.
On March 19, Pierre Poilievre, leader of Canada’s official opposition, appeared on the highly controversial podcast ‘The Joe Rogan Experience.’ While the appearance might’ve been a strategic move to appeal to the Canadian right wing, or appease moderates by answering easy questions, the episode is a worrying indication of the Americanization of Canadian politics.
Instead of appealing to strictly Canadian voters, it’s unfortunate to see Poilievre leaning into the far-right social media sphere. Rogan’s podcast is known to espouse beliefs against gender equality and civil liberties, while actively feeding into political polarization via clips on social media.
Overall, Poilievre handled himself well. He didn’t criticize Mark Carney, and shutdown any notions of the U.S annexing Canada as a “51 st state.” Poilievre also criticized American sanctions on Canadian goods, noting how it makes life more expensive for U.S citizens.
While these responses all make Poilievre look good in the eyes of the Canadian voter, it’s easy to answer lowball questions from someone who doesn’t know the first thing about Canadian politics. The episode speaks to a broader problem of politicians becoming celebrities, and podcasters or social media influencers becoming journalists.
Poilievre’s episode was full of misinformation; saying Canada takes in one million immigrants per year when the number only sits at around 300,000, and espousing that the Alberta oilsands have “no impact” to groundwater or the environment. Of course, Rogan wasn’t capable or knowledgeable enough to challenge these claims.
Politicians need to be challenged, but unfortunately, we live in a world where podcasts get more views than press conferences, and leaders aren’t held accountable.
The podcast space does help make politics more digestible for a large audience, increasing accessibility. However, concerns about polarization and self-selection still exist.
In one fell swoop, Poilievre was able to reach millions of viewers, appeal to right-wing Canadians, while answering easy questions to satisfy moderates. The U.S. is already harshly polarized along lines of political identity characterized by personal demonization and fueled by social media rhetoric, and it’s frightening to think Canada might be headed in the same direction.
To retain some popularity in the face of a righter leaning Liberal party, Poilievre had to go even further, appearing on a far right associated podcast.
We live in a world where people self-select what they want to hear, and unfortunately, the CBC isn’t getting the same traction Joe Rogan’s podcast is. What’s disappointing is seeing a prominent Canadian politician stooping to the level of the American right.
—Journal Editorial Board
Tags
Joe Rogan, Pierre Poilievre, Podcasts
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Mide
I hope the same energy was kept when Carney went on Jon Stewart’s Daily Show to rip on Pierre and announce his Liberal leadership bid.