Poilievre condemned for use of YouTube tag targeting 'misogynistic' groups
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Liberals are accusing Pierre Poilievre of “using his videos to appeal to far-right misogynistic online movements," after it was revealed that Poilievre's YouTube channel was using a hidden tag to promote his videos among anti-women audiences.
"The choice made by the Conservative leader in reaching out to extremist online groups, into pulling in anti-women, misogynistic groups for his own political gain is one that he will have to answer for. I mean, women across this country want to know why he allowed this to happen and want to see him take responsibility for it," Trudeau said in the House of Commons on Thursday.
The tag first reported by Global News used to target these online audiences, "#mgtow"—an acronym for “men going their own way”—is a reference to an anti-feminist group of men who seek to separate themselves from women. It has been associated with the so-called "incel" or involuntary celibacy movement.
Reddit has banned the “r/MGTOW” community for violating its rule against promoting hate.
CTV News independently verified the past use of the “mgtow” tag embedded in code of videos on Poilievre’s YouTube page, using the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine. As Global News reported, after the tag's use was raised with Poilievre's office, it was removed from videos uploaded over the last few years.
Trudeau challenged Poilievre repeatedly to address the issue during question period—where the governing party is supposed to be the one facing questions.
"These are anti-women movements and they have devastating, real life consequences. Mr. Speaker, I call on the Conservative leader to stand in this House, take responsibility, and apologize," Trudeau said.
In response, Poilievre confirmed that he "corrected the problem as soon as it became known to me."
Poilievre said he condemns "all forms of misogyny" and "took responsibility," before pivoting to attack Trudeau over his past blackface scandal and the Jody Wilson-Raybould and SNC-Lavalin controversy, with the Conservative caucus cheering him on.
CALLS TO EXPLAIN, APOLOGIZE
Several MPs and ministers echoed Trudeau's condemnation on Thursday, calling for Poilievre to explain how the use of this tag was permitted, and who was responsible.
"It is very alarming to see a report where a political party, the Conservative Party of Canada, apparently has used some kind of a hashtag or coding that was not visible, to feed into incel echo chambers where you have overtly violent rhetoric towards women. It’s dangerous, it’s wrong, and it will be up to them to answer for it," said Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino.
Justice Minister David Lametti called it "beyond completely unacceptable," and "a real scandal." He said that everyone who supported Poilievre during the leadership race, or who is backing the party now should think about that.
"Linking your posts to a group that actively incites hatred… I am outraged. I think every woman in Canada, every person in Canada, should be outraged by this,” Lametti said.
Liberal MPs Jennifer O’Connell and Soraya Martinez Ferrada have called for Poilievre to denounce the actions of his team and take some responsibility, but are also calling on female Conservative MPs to stand up and denounce this.
"Mr. Poilievre purposely has been targeting and courting violent anti-women incel movements for his own political and personal gain… He is running to be—he claims—prime minister… And we call on him to act now," O'Connell said.
Conservative MP Raquel Dancho was asked by reporters on Parliament Hill who she thought should take responsibility for the tag.
She said: “I’m very proud of my leader for just coming right out and taking responsibility and immediately rectifying the situation. I think that shows real leadership and it’s about time that we had a leader in the House of Commons that did that,” while also accusing Trudeau of failing “to take responsibility over and over again for racist, sexist and misogynistic actions.”
Alain Rayes, an independent MP who left the Conservative Party just days after Poilievre’s win, called the situation “unacceptable.” Rayes said while he can believe that Poilievre did not use the tag himself, “he must fire the person who did immediately.” He said it was “the minimum expected from a leader.”
While some MPs are calling for there to be consequences, Poilievre has made no indication that he plans to take further action to address the matter.
With a file from CTVNews.ca’s Phil Hahn
IN DEPTH
Trudeau, key election players to testify at foreign interference hearings. What you need to know
The public hearings portion of the federal inquiry into foreign interference in Canadian elections and democratic institutions are picking back up this week. Here's what you need to know.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
Who is supporting, opposing new online harms bill?
Now that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's sweeping online harms legislation is before Parliament, allowing key stakeholders, major platforms, and Canadians with direct personal experience with abuse to dig in and see what's being proposed, reaction is streaming in. CTVNews.ca has rounded up reaction, and here's how Bill C-63 is going over.
As Poilievre sides with Smith on trans restrictions, former Conservative candidate says he's 'playing with fire'
Siding with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on her proposed restrictions on transgender youth, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre confirmed Wednesday that he is against trans and non-binary minors using puberty blockers.
TREND LINE What Nanos' tracking tells us about Canadians' mood, party preference heading into 2024
Heading into a new year, Canadians aren't feeling overly optimistic about the direction the country is heading, with the number of voters indicating negative views about the federal government's performance at the highest in a decade, national tracking from Nanos Research shows.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
opinion Don Martin: Pierre Poilievre's road to apparent victory will soon start to get rougher
Pierre Poilievre and his Conservatives appear to be on cruise control to a rendezvous with the leader's prime ministerial ambition, but in his latest column for CTVNews.ca, Don Martin questions whether the Conservative leader may be peaking too soon.
opinion Don Martin: The Trudeau lessons from Brian Mulroney's legacy start with walking away
Justin Trudeau should pay very close attention to the legacy treatment afforded former prime minister Brian Mulroney, who died on Thursday at age 84, writes columnist Don Martin.
opinion Don Martin: ArriveCan debacle may be even worse than we know from auditor's report
It's been 22 years since a former auditor general blasted the Chretien government after it 'broke just about every rule in the book' in handing out private sector contracts in the sponsorship scandal. In his column for CTVNews.ca, Don Martin says the book has been broken anew with everything that went on behind the scenes of the 'dreaded' ArriveCan app.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
Crypt near Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner could fetch US$400,000 at auction
A one-space mausoleum crypt in the vicinity of Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner will go on auction Saturday, when it is expected to reach between US$200,000 and $400,000.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
A fight to protect the dignity of Michelangelo's David raises questions about freedom of expression
Michelangelo's David has been a towering figure in Italian culture since its completion in 1504. But in the current era of the quick buck, curators worry the marble statue's religious and political significance is being diminished.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Premiers not being truthful about carbon tax, Trudeau says while sparks fly in Ottawa
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Conservative premiers across the country are 'not telling the truth' when it comes to the carbon tax. Trudeau's comments came as fresh sparks were flying in Ottawa at a recalled House of Commons committee.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
Local Spotlight
A tiny critter who could: Elusive Newfoundland Marten makes improbable comeback
Newfoundland’s unique version of the Pine Marten has grown out of its threatened designation.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
Ontario man loses $12K to deepfake scam involving Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
A Toronto man is out $12,000 after falling victim to a deepfake cryptocurrency scam that appeared to involve Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Record-setting pop tab collection for Ontario boy
It started small with a little pop tab collection to simply raise some money for charity and help someone — but it didn’t take long for word to get out that 10-year-old Jace Weber from Mildmay, Ont. was quickly building up a large supply of aluminum pop tabs.
'I was just like, holy cow!': Saskatoon dumpster divers reclaim wasted valuables
There’s a group of people in Saskatoon that proudly call themselves dumpster divers, and they’re turning the city’s trash into treasure.
Ontario to balance budget ahead of 2026 election, citing delay due to 'economic uncertainty'
Ontario is facing a larger than anticipated deficit but the Doug Ford government still plans to balance its books before the next provincial election.
Business owner disappointed in police efforts to locate $500K worth of stolen e-bikes
The owner of an e-bike business says he has doubts police will find the roughly $500,000 worth of product that was stolen from a shipping container last week, while police say he “complicated” their investigation by posting video of the theft.
Costco begins using verification scanners at some Ottawa stores
At least one Costco store in Ottawa has implemented a digital card scanner for member entry, a departure from the traditional in-person card check, in an effort to crack-down on shoppers who have not paid a membership fee.
How to safely view the solar eclipse using household materials
With the solar eclipse just a week away, it’s time to think about how to safely view the celestial show.