How Carney is trying to appeal to the men who were 'alienated' under Trudeau

OTTAWA — When it comes to the federal government’s plan to recruit upwards of 100,000 more people into the trades, there stands one demographic likely to benefit the most.

Men, and more specifically, young men.

Those inside Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government say the pledge, announced last week as part of the spring economic update, reflects commitments he has made around building more homes and getting major infrastructure projects off the ground. It’s also coupled with the need to fill persistent labour gaps in key trades at the same time as the government cuts back on immigration and battles high youth unemployment.

Still, with men more likely to enter the trades than women, even with efforts to boost their participation, some Liberals have taken note, as pollsters see a shift in support among men, even those younger than 50, towards Carney.

“As someone who has two teenage boys, I do agree that under prime minister (Justin Trudeau) we seem to have alienated a lot of particularly young males,” said Thunder Bay-Rainy River Liberal MP Marcus Powlowski, which he called “unfortunate.”

“I think our government truly wants to represent all Canadians, including young men.”

Abacus Data CEO David Coletto says while Carney enjoys positive reviews from a broad swath of Canadians, he sees proof of him having made gains with men, including among younger cohorts.

The first reason Coletto points to is the fact he is not Trudeau, a former prime minister whom men had a “particular dislike” for, as compared to Carney, whose government he says is making moves “in sharp contrast” to what his predecessor was doing, particularly in placing more focus on economic growth and resource development, which fit with what men tend to find the most important.

For Dan Arnold, chief strategy office at Pollara Strategic Insights, who had worked in Trudeau’s office until 2021, says men under 50 were Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s “bread and butter in the last election,” but that his grip on those voters is slipping.

This was a group, he says, who “felt a little offside from the Trudeau agenda,” both in terms of policy and persona.

Gender equality, reconciliation and climate change — all hallmark Trudeau policies — simply do not stand as priorities among younger men, Arnold says.

He also sees Carney as having a style that appeals to men, including through visuals that are more “male-coded” pointing to his recent social media video discussing the Canada-U.S. relationship, where he referenced Sir Isaac Brock and military history.

Compare that to Trudeau’s style, which Arnold described as “empathetic, caring politician vibe” appealing more to women.

Men may also have an easier time connecting with Carney, seeing in him a prime minister who cheers for the Edmonton Oilers and laces up to skate with hockey players, leading to a perception of him being, “more masculine as a leader than Mr. Trudeau was,” says Coletto.

Carney has so far steered clear of wading into culture war issues and distanced himself from Trudeau’s declaration of Canada’s foreign policy as being “feminist.” He has also been lauded by leaders worldwide for his stark assessment of countries’ relationship with the U.S. Men also fill the ranks of the most senior staff around him.

Earlier this year, Health Minister Marjorie Michel announced that the Liberals would be developing the country’s first mental health strategy aimed at men and boys, which has received attention from several Conservative MPs who advocate on issues surrounding men’s well-being.

Whether Carney is deliberately trying to capture more male voters or simply build a bigger coalition, through Western Canada and across demographics by advancing a more economic and defence-oriented agenda, men seem to be responding.

“I do wonder if the public and men in particular, are getting a feeling from this government that it’s more aligned with them, or at least not hostile, right? And I do think that there was a time when Justin Trudeau’s government did feel hostile to men, right?” Coletto said.

A Liberal MP, speaking on the condition of background, said while there is a recognition that the Liberals have struggled with younger men, it is less focused on targeting specific voting blocs than trying to govern for “everybody.”

Nevertheless, the MP said that under Carney, the Liberals are more unapologetic.

“There’s a more muscled approach to this government and that we’re not taking sh-t from anybody. We’re prepared to push back.”

Powlowski does not believe the government is acting “just for the sake of votes,” but nevertheless believes many Liberals realize they did have a “problem” with young men.

He recalls hearing at the doorstep how many men, including younger ones, did not feel that the Liberals under Trudeau were speaking to them.

“They told me at the door, they said, your government does not, quote, unquote represent me, and I think it’s because of all kinds of messaging over the years.”

He sees the recent announcement of injecting $6 billion to attract tens of thousands of skilled workers into the trades through plans to provide bonuses, paid placements and a faster path to achieve a Red Seal certification as opening the door to those feeling disenfranchised.

“It’s important,” said Liberal MP Judy Sgro, “because we have a lot of men that are unemployed and we want them to be building a strong life for themselves and their own future.”

Jonathan Kalles, a former adviser to Trudeau, now senior director at public-affairs firm McMillan Vantage, said when it comes to the question of Carney looking to target male voters, “I don’t think that’s how Mr. Carney thinks.”

He believes the prime minister is carrying out a bigger strategy around his building agenda, rather than looking at matters politically, a lens which he says was a bigger factor under Trudeau.

“I don’t think he sits there and makes calculations about, ‘this will help me with different demographic groups or different voter bases.’ So while that may have a positive impact in that cohort, I don’t think it’s the motivation,” he says.

“And that may be a difference from his predecessor.”

National Post

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