Canada’s federal Conservative Party has removed a promotional video that was released over the weekend showing its leader speaking patriotically while Russian fighter jets fly in the sky, according to CNN affiliate CBC.
The video purports to show classic down-home Canadian scenes and landscapes but has been widely criticized online for including footage from other countries.
“The video was removed — mistakes happen,” Sarah Fischer, director of communications for the Conservative Party of Canada said Monday, according to CBC.
In the video, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre speaks about Canadian fighter jets conducting a training mission to “defend our home and native land” – but as his narration continues, the video shows what Canada’s defense minister identifies as Russian-made warplanes.
“Shockingly, Mr. Poilievre’s dream for Canada includes Russian fighter jets (an Su-17 and what appears to be an Su-27) flying over our glorious prairies on a ‘training mission.’ This comes as Russia continues its illegal, unprovoked war of choice against Ukraine and the international rules that keep us all safe,” said a press release from Blair’s office Monday, according to CBC.
Users recorded the video, which continues to circulate on social media. Canadian New Democratic Party (NDP) MP Charlie Angus reshared it, pointing out that the video also contained stock footage from other countries. CNN also found that several of the videos were indeed stock footage shot in other countries.
“Poilievre’s fake Canada protected by Russian jets, for Serbian families with a Venezuelan sunset is drawing international attention,” Angus wrote on X.
Poilievre also narrates the story of a father dropping off his child at school and then driving along, hearing the sounds of hammers using Canadian wood to build, seeing farmers working in the field, and looking up at the sky to see fighter jets.
“The same plane is soon seen from a university campus where kids are hustling off to class…knowing that when they get to class they will have the chance to debate freely and fearlessly without worry of being censored,” he says.
Users have pointed out that the video of the student looking at the jets was actually from a Ukrainian university. CNN has also verified the stock footage to be from Ukraine.
He talks about Canadian families “of the student, that welder, kids, moms and dads” coming together at the end of the day to celebrate how one of them has been sober for 10 years.
However, users comically point out that the footage edited over his narration shows the family drinking wine to mark the occasion.
“I honestly thought this was a parody. This is Pierre’s imagined Canada where people kill food for dinner, drink wine to celebrate sobriety, rely on Russian jets for protection, mistake Ukrainian universities for Canada,” Angus wrote.
