Just over a year out from Canada’s next federal election, Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre, well ahead in the polls, is leaning into the ridiculous tradition of labeling political opponents “communists.” This tactic has a long history — starting with the Duke of Wellington painting his opponents as “radicals” in the early nineteenth century, continuing through the Red Scare hysteria, and reaching its peak with McCarthy-era fears of communism lurking everywhere. Following in this tradition, Poilievre has taken to calling his political opponents “wackos” and decrying the dangers of communism and socialism, neither of which he seems to understand. But understanding, of course, isn’t the point.

Last week, Poilievre took a shot at Liberal prime minister Justin Trudeau on Twitter/X. Linking to the Conservative Party website, Poilievre wrote, “Sign here to have a Prime Minister who doesn’t admire basic communist dictatorships” above an image featuring a picture of Karl Marx along with the words “how to do communism.”

The origin of the jab is a 2013 quotation from Trudeau, in which he expressed admiration for China’s “basic dictatorship,” saying it “is actually allowing them to turn their economy around on a dime.”