Northern Populism: Causes and Consequences of the New Ordered Outlook

Abstract

Canada has not been left untouched by a new authoritarian, or ordered, populism that has seen the election of Donald Tr ump as U.S. president and the United Kingdom vote to leave the European Union. Based on measurements of public opinion and other means developed to assess the phenomenon, this paper finds that populism in Canada is a significant political force, replacing the traditional left-right political spectrum. Not only has northern populism created a heightened partisan polarization in Canada, but it also proved to be a strong predictor of the outcome of the 2019 federal election.

The authors’ research shows that 34 per cent of Canadians maintain a populist outlook. Older, less-educated, working-class Canadians are the most likely to sympathize with ordered populism, and it is more prevalent in Alberta and Saskatchewan. It is also more closely aligned with Canadians whose political sympathies lie with conservative political parties.

Keywords: ordered populism, authoritarian populism, populism in Canada, economic outlook, inequality, immigration, trust in government