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The People’s Party of Canada and the Appeal of Anger Politics

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Political Marketing in the 2021 Canadian Federal Election

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Political Marketing and Management ((Palgrave Studies in Political Marketing and Management))

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Abstract

In the 2021 Canadian federal election, the People’s Party of Canada (PPC), a marginal, poorly organized, and badly funded party managed to get 5% of the popular vote with a rancorous and divisive discourse. Drawing on extensive opinion polling conducted during the election campaign, we isolate and define the appeal of anger politics in the most recent Canadian election. We point out that Maxime Bernier’s party is the latest manifestation in a long tradition in federal politics; fuelled by economic and social grievances and galvanized by charismatic leadership. We show that while the PPC failed to win a seat during the election, it demonstrated that anger remains a mobilizing electoral force for some Canadian voters. Moreover, with an economic recession looming and the precariousness of a minority government, it is likely that “anger” will persist as part of the current electoral calculus in Canada.

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Change history

  • 08 July 2023

    A correction has been published.

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Correspondence to André Turcotte .

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Turcotte, A., Coletto, D., Vodrey, S. (2023). The People’s Party of Canada and the Appeal of Anger Politics. In: Gillies, J., Raynauld, V., Turcotte, A. (eds) Political Marketing in the 2021 Canadian Federal Election . Palgrave Studies in Political Marketing and Management. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-34404-6_6

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