Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has appointed broadcaster Charles Adler as an independent Senator. Adler will earn a comfortable base salary of $178,100 for his newfound role despite having described the Senate as a “sewer” and “barn” in the past.
Although Adler has maintained that he will approach this role without partisanship, past social media discourse suggests that he is anything but independent.
A self-described former conservative, Adler has become one of the most incendiary critics of the Conservative party and its leader, Pierre Poilievre, while offering unabashed praise for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Liberal government.
Here are 15 instances where Adler’s rhetoric has clearly shown his Liberal leanings, raising serious questions about his claimed independence.
Called Trudeau a “self-confident Canadian”
In a tweet about Pride events, Adler glowingly described the Liberal Prime Minister as a “self-confident Canadian” who is “comfortable in his own skin.”
“PM Trudeau is comfortable at #Pride events, because he’s comfortable in his own skin- a self confident Cdn. Why does Pierre Poilievre not attend these events? He’s worried the homophobes he panders to, will BBQ him. Leaders lead. Paranoids pander.”
Claimed Conservatives are a “Canadian freak show”
Adler expressed his disdain for the current direction of the Conservative Party by describing it as a “freak show.”
“People ask why I am not supportive of Poilievre. This is precisely why. Voted PC for most of my life-provincially & federally. But this is 10,000 miles from centre. I would feel ridiculous, supporting a Canadian freak show, just because it has the word Conservative in the brand.”
Adler also claimed that Conservatives were incompetent and immature.
“Conservatism, be it the Alberta provincial breed or the Poilievre brand, is dominated by incompetence and immaturity. Long thread, meaning you might have to donate 3 mins to a former Conservative supporter in Alberta, delivering immutable truths about today’s conservatism.”
Credited Trudeau with saving Canada’s economy
Adler credited Trudeau’s leadership for Canada’s economic stability, echoing similar talking points used by Liberal politicians. He tweeted:
“US President Biden has helped to keep Americans out of recession. Kudos to him and his team. Similar kudos to PM Trudeau and his team for keeping Canadians out of a recession, which many were expecting.”
Accused Poilievre of being “dishonest”
The former broadcaster now-turned Senator has repeatedly resorted to calling Poilievre names. In a tweet, Adler claimed that the Conservative leader relied on dishonesty in his messaging.
“Dishonesty is the central feature of Poilievre messaging. If he is ever given the keys to the PMO, premium gatekeeper status, he will abandon the punters slurping his populist apple juice.”
Repeatedly described a Liberal minister as a “star”
In several tweets praising Liberal Minister Sean Fraser, Adler described Fraser as “a star” and frequently praised his image while casting shade on Poilievre at the same time.
“Canada watching new version of ‘A Star is Born’ with Sean Fraser. Unlike Pierre Poilievre, he doesn’t need image consultants training him to look & speak like a genuine human being.”
“Canada is seeing a new version of ‘A Star is Born’ His name is Fraser – Sean Fraser. Unlike Pierre Poilievre, he does not need a consultant to teach him how to look & speak like a real human being. Canadians aren’t big on bots – on social media or political leadership.
Housing Minister Sean Fraser never fails to eviscerate the Conservative leader’s arguments. Some might say the minister is simply returning Poilievre’s best material to the dumpster they came from.”
“Sean Fraser does more than memorize talking points. Unlike Poilievre, he doesn’t waste his time in public service, feeding crumbs to pigeons.”
Frequently expressed pride in Trudeau
On several occasions, Adler has publicly expressed pride in the Liberal prime minister.
“Right Wing Rage farmers. Unleash your Algorithmic Assholes. Ratio to your wooden heart’s content. As a Canadian I am proud that Prime Minister Trudeau stands for something that matters. Equality & dignity of all human beings-all worthy of respect & love.”
“Every Canada Day I declare pride in our democratically elected PM, regardless of political party. I am proud of Canadian democracy, and the Canadians who respect it. Happy Canada Day, Prime Minister Trudeau.”
Accused Conservatives of being swayed by “Russian propaganda”
Adler made an incendiary post targeting Poilievre’s leadership with insults and accusing his team of filling “their diapers every day with Russian propaganda.”
“Conservative politics is tragically dominated by the ignorant, malicious, and wicked. Poilievre’s people fill their diapers every day with Russian propaganda on the House of Commons fiasco-spreading the libel that Ukraine is governed by Hitler’s most enthusiastic accomplices.”
Said Poilievre is not “prime ministerial”
Adler argued that the Conservative leader was not “prime ministerial” for meeting with carbon tax protest supporters.
“Poilievre is no more prime ministerial than a trailer with F-Trudeau scrawl. This is who he sees as typical ordinary Cdns – reinforces his view of a desperate decaying land. Canada is not broken. But this soulless sloganeer will enthusiastically break anything that needs help.”
Bragged about Trudeau winning three elections
In a post on X, Adler bragged that the Liberals have won three elections in a row.
“Trudeau has won 3 in a row. So he laughs off advice from someone who has never run for anything. There may not be an easier ball to hit out of the park than the one pitched by Senator Who.”
