On February 15, 2025, Pierre Poilievre delivered his Canada First Speech at a campaign rally in downtown Ottawa. Under the heading Citizenship, Poilievre promised to stop the war on Canadian history and make it official policy to display prominently John A. Macdonald’s name and likeness in public:
“We are a strong nation. No outside force can stop us, unless we let them. Just like Liberal tax hikes and anti-resource policies threaten our economic independence, so too their post-national view that Canada has no core identity threatens our national sovereignty. …
“We will end cancel culture and stop the war on our history. Our national museums will celebrate the great achievements of Canada telling the unvarnished truth: that on balance, this is the greatest country in the world precisely because of the goodness of those who came and sacrificed before us. And we will celebrate, rather than tearing down, our heroes and history.
“We will defeat the insidious and divisive cancel culture that has sought to destroy our national pride, our national monuments and the legacy of our nation’s first Prime Minister.
“This must end. Under a Conservative government, I promise you it will. It will be the official policy of my government to reinstate Sir John A, his statues, and his name, in our parks, public structures and our places of national importance. …
“Our Heritage and Citizenship departments will have an official policy of promoting our common national identity. The goal is not to erase our differences but to bridge them. We will strengthen bonds of common country between Canadians of different regions, race, background and birth. …
“We have seen the government divide people by race, religion, gender, vaccine status and more. No wonder hate crimes are up 251% in 9 years. Places of worship are now firebombed and shot at. “And, for the first time, the world’s problems are spilling onto our streets. That must end and when I am Prime Minister it will end.
“Laws will be enforced. We will treat all our people—regardless of their race—as Canadians First without hyphens. And we will leave the world’s problems at the door. …
“Ours is a nationalism not based on bloodlines, birthplace or background. Whether one’s name is Martin or Mohammad, Poilievre or Patel, Tremblay ou Tang, Singh, Smith or Steinberg, whether we’re from Tuktoyaktuk ou Trois Rivieres, Okanagan or Oromocto, Calgary or Cavendish, we are all Canadians and Canadians First. …
“What binds us together is the Canadian promise. That anyone from anywhere can do anything—That hard work gets you a great life, in a beautiful house, on a safe street, wrapped in the protective arms of a solid border, defended by brave soldiers under our proud flag; To preserve that flag and its promise we must work together, fight together and win together. That is what it means to put Canada First.”
In similar terms, Donald Trump yesterday issued an Executive Order “restoring truth and sanity to American history.”
Trump’s EO complained that:
“Over the past decade, Americans have witnessed a concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation’s history, replacing objective facts with a distorted narrative driven by ideology rather than truth. This revisionist movement seeks to undermine the remarkable achievements of the United States by casting its founding principles and historical milestones in a negative light. Under this historical revision, our Nation’s unparalleled legacy of advancing liberty, individual rights, and human happiness is reconstructed as inherently racist, sexist, oppressive, or otherwise irredeemably flawed. Rather than fostering unity and a deeper understanding of our shared past, the widespread effort to rewrite history deepens societal divides and fosters a sense of national shame, disregarding the progress America has made and the ideals that continue to inspire millions around the globe.”
Under Sec. 4. Restoring Truth in American History, Trump directed the Secretary of the Interior:
- determine whether public monuments, memorials, statues, markers, or similar properties have been removed or changed to perpetuate a false reconstruction of American history, inappropriately minimize the value of certain historical events or figures, or include any other improper partisan ideology;
- take action to reinstate the pre-existing monuments, memorials, statues, markers, or similar properties; and
- take action to ensure that all public monuments, memorials, statues, markers, or similar properties do not contain descriptions, depictions, or other content that inappropriately disparage Americans past or living (including persons living in colonial times), and instead focus on the greatness of the achievements and progress of the American people or, with respect to natural features, the beauty, abundance, and grandeur of the American landscape.
Today’s polling suggest that Canadians will be on the sidelines when the anti-war on history is waged.
