Pierre Poilievre may be Trumpesque but Canada-U.S. differences on display in how losers respond to election results

Where Trump, his followers in the U.S., and a few sore loser Conservatives here act like toddlers told it was bed time, Pierre concedes like a mature leader

Canadians woke up Tuesday morning to a new prime minister, the same party in control in Ottawa, a bolstered opposition party, and a decimated third party.

At 1:37 a.m. Ontario time, where he was, when we knew the Liberals would win but were not sure whether it was a majority of minority, a smiling Pierre Poilievre took to the stage at the Conservative gathering with his smiling wife and gave a concession speech.

“I would like to congratulate Prime Minister Carney on leading this minority government," he said early on. "We will have plenty of opportunity to debate and disagree, but tonight we come together as Canadians.”

No outrage? No denial? No blame game? No taking your ball and going home?

Scans of social media found conciliatory and congratulatory comments from candidates, winners and losers, supporters and others. And, of course, there was also the bitterness from childish folks. The keyboard warriors and unemployed incels predictably trolled in angry Facebook groups.

"Texas here I come," someone named Chris Akroyd posted in one beware-type group. "Canada is cooked. The liberal voters just lined us all up for the executioners axe and they think they are the smart ones."

There was also much sarcasm.

"I can’t believe all those angry conservative insults didn’t sway liberal voters!"

And there was at least one tinfoil-hat wearing dummy who shared a conspiracy theory.

"Something's really fishy," according to a Toronto radio host claiming he was a scrutineer and before any votes had been counted, CTV called victory in some suburban riding. A piece of disinformation shared by not-too-smart Facebook users.

However, other than mugs full of Conservative tears, right-wing sour grapes and that one conspiracy theory video, that was about it.

We had an election. We had an unpopular prime minister and Liberal leader who finally took the hint and stepped down. They picked a new and popular former macroeconomic expert who went up against the Conservative's trained attack dog turned leader.

But yet even when angry, divisive, MAGA-lite, Trumpesque Pierre Poilievre did not become prime minister or even win his own seat, within hours of the reality of what was happening, before midnight on the west coast on election day, he smiled and issued a concession speech. He addressed the cup-half-full reality that the Conservatives grew their number of seats from 120 to 144 in Parliament, which is remarkable.

And our homegrown mini-Trump congratulated the actual winner of the election and walked away. And his supporters didn't cry foul en masse, protest in the streets or start chanting "stop the steal."

Hey Donald, did you and the Republicans see that? That's how you are supposed to lose an election, even if you're a jerk.

After Donald Trump lost the election in 2020, as we all know, instead of conceding and being civil and mature, he conspired and lied and continued to trick his moronic followers into believing the election results were fake and he actually won.

He repeated false claims of widespread voter fraud, disinformation lapped up by supporters who amplified it on social media, continue to water the growing seed of distrust of government he had planted during his first term in office. Then, unlike Pierre Poilievre and the Conservatives after last night, Donald Trump spurred on a coup d'etat, unhindered by his fellow Republicans.

"President Trump or his inner circle engaged in at least 200 apparent acts of public or private outreach, pressure, or condemnation, targeting either State legislators or State or local election administrators, to overturn State election results," according to the House committee's final report into the insurrection on Capitol Hill on Jan. 6, 2021.

Not only did Trump do little to stop his supporters when they resorted to violence and stormed the Capitol after he lost the election, he caused it.

"The central cause of January 6th was one man, former President Donald Trump," reads the report. "None of the events of January 6th would have happened without him."

Of course, Trump would never admit it but he probably helped Mark Carney become prime minister by handing the unelected former banker an existential national emergency that he responded to statesmanlike right before an election, and Trump put his stink on Poilievre by telling Canadians who they should vote for Monday morning.

Say what you will about Pierre Poilievre – and there's lots to say, I've said some negative things myself – the response from the losers in the federal elections in the U.S. in 2020 and in Canada in 2025 show such a stark difference between far-right conservatives in our two countries that it should actually bring us all together as Canadians.

We may have our differences and our difficulties up here in Canada, but that's a shit show down there.

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Paul J. Henderson
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