How to win a war of words

Prime Minister Carney is facing a lot of challenges — but building a strong narrative to the Canadian public isn’t one of them.

We moved on a bit from the original call of elbows up for middle power countries since his election win, but Canadians continue to share a strong consensus on the need to Buy Canadian and boycott America, in everything from berries to alcohol to a trip across the border.

That a stunning 76% of Canadians support his decision to walk away from the trade deal with the US got significant media coverage this week, but the Angus Reid poll contained some more interesting insights. Nearly 70% of respondents said Carney showed “strength” and 64% said they thought Canada would ultimately come out stronger in the long run.

Those numbers are a political dream.

There’s a lot of reasons informing these numbers — emotional and material ones, existential fears, general Trump fatigue. But Carney’s speeches and his appreciation for symbolism have definitely played a role, and the world has noticed. He’s even got some clever one-liners, like saying that the US signature was written in pencil, especially compared to Trump’s anemic “Lake America”. What he’s not really doing is communicating in more than speeches to Canada writ large, which means misinformation and disinformation are proliferating.

What can we as communicators in the progressive space in Canada take away from this?

We don’t think you should put a maple leaf on every campaign, but we are in a moment of intense patriotism coupled with concerns and anxieties over how the trade war, climate change, tech upheaval, and everything else will impact their lives. Many also know they are facing digital and real world environments in which it’s much harder to immediately know what’s real and what’s fake – or even if they are talking to a person and not an AI agent.

While people are tightening their belts and preparing for the worst, show them campaigns, communications, and resources that inspire, connect with the renewed interest in community, and give them a simple way to participate without feeling overwhelmed. But don’t neglect to inoculate your audience against misinformation and share your work with them with clear, direct, and accessible communications that give you credibility.