Traitor Talk: Is the Canadian Election Becoming Less Polite?

Are Canadians Becoming Less Polite?

Canada’s election season has kicked off, as the three major parties roll out their platforms and pitch their leaders as the nation’s next big hope. From bold promises to sharp jabs, the race is heating up fast. 

We’ll be diving into the action—breaking down which messages are striking a chord with voters, which attacks are landing, and which policies are picking up steam. We want to know what’s resonating with voters—and whether a nastier tone might tip the scales. 

But before we get there, let’s zoom in on a trend that should not be ignored—a shift we stumbled upon after a reader called our 51st State research “traitorous.” That word stuck with us. It’s popping up more often, and it’s got us curious.  

Across Canada, people are sounding the alarm about a slide in civic discourse. We wondered: how’s this playing out? One clue lies in the words we’re throwing around. Our digging revealed a surge in various uses of the term “traitor”, spiking in mid-2024 amid investigations on foreign interference— signaling a raw anger that’s rewiring our debates and, maybe, our ballots. 

The data shows a step-change in our use of this inherently aggressive and inflammatory terminology. Is this just election noise? Maybe not. The data shows “traitor” isn’t fading—it’s a sticky signal of deeper divides. 

The target shifts with the news cycle. Mark Carney faces flak for his alleged hand in Brookfield’s HQ shift, juggling multiple passports, and his globe-trotting career. 

Trump’s shadow and the 51st State chatter is also keeping “traitor” alive in the minds of many Canadians.

For example as we write this, the Conservatives are scrambling after Danielle Smith admitted to speaking to US Officials in an interview with Breitbart on March 8th. The story went viral a couple weeks later, leading to thousands of posts on X tying Smith, and Poilievre by association, to the word “traitor”. No doubt tripping up Poilievre's efforts to drive home his Canada-First narrative.

Tracking mentions of Canadian public politicians associated with the term "traitor" on social media from Jan 8, 2025-Mar 24, 2025.

Will this influence votes on April 28? It's still too early to tell, but the significant shift in polling indicates that the Trump-MAGA connections are proving to be an asset for the Liberal campaign.  And they'll likely continue to emphasize this issue to remain prominent in voters' minds. 

With the election in full swing, we’ll drop weekly breakdowns of what’s clicking with Canadians. It’s already turning into a spicy election — here’s hoping we can keep it classy.