OTTAWA – A leading psychologist says a distressed Pierre Poilievre is regressing emotionally and seeking a safe space in the culture wars by celebrating the Olympics ban of Trans and Intersex athletes.
“This is a familiar behaviour for this personality type,” says Dr. Claire Scoville, a behavioural psychologist at the University of Calgary. “He’s in a highly agitated state right now, so he’s returning to his traditional comforts like whipping up rage against some small group of people who just want to live their lives.”
“I know no one wants to see a “Prime Minister in waiting” engage in this kind of divisive Transphobia, but keep in mind it makes him feel safe.”
The Conservative Party leader indicated his support for the International Olympic Committee’s new genetic testing policy for women athletes, effectively banning transgender women from competing. Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling tweeted her support for the ban with a photo of Algerian Olympic gold medalist boxer Imane Khelif, who is not transgender. Poilievre retweeted the post, adding, “what she said,” and a Simpsons-coloured finger pointing down emoji.
“It could have been worse,” Dr. Scoville said. “It could have been that gif with the person pointing all smugly with THIS popping up in text. That would have been so sad.”
She says the behaviour is likely driven by his inability to overcome the Liberals’ current popularity in the polls.
“The government’s current approval sits on such a wide political spectrum, leaving little room for him to occupy,” she says, adding that this was the most likely trigger for today’s incident.
Dr. Scoville also noted this behaviour earlier in the week when he returned to the comfort of the manosphere by appearing on the Joe Rogan Experience.
“I don’t know if he does it because he genuinely believes it or, he doesn’t, but hopes voters do, and it’s a way to whip up the base,” she said.
“Either way, it may be of interest to the people whose lives get upended again and again by someone scoring political points. But the important thing is Poilievre’s own emotional security.”
A spokesperson for the Carney government did not respond to a request for comment, saying they were too busy planning Carney’s next 45 trips abroad.
