Pierre Poilievre Celebrates Son’s Fourth Birthday With Spider-Man Cake

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Canadian Conservative rave head Pierre Poilievre shared a rare and precious moment of the family: there he posted a photo of his son all decked out in a Spider-Man suit for his fourth birthday-polite birthday greetings on one hand, rich with political invective on the other.

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The picture is of a little boy in a complete Spider-Man costume facing a birthday cake with his face blurred out. The Canadian opposition leader and fiery political commentator, Pierre Poilievre, sometimes lets private glimpses into his family life, though categorically hiding away his children’s identities.

Canadian politics seeping into the birthday post’s response is rather typical of the sort of polarized nature. Many sincere well-wishers poured in birthday wishes while appreciating the opportunity to witness the politician’s private side. “This is my favorite post by PP. It’s way better to see this than the up-to-date rag on the liberals,” commented one user. Another replied, “Right there! That is what life is all about. Family time!”

What followed, though, was in regret the opposite: a war zone of cries for grievances. The critiques veered into attacks on Poilievre’s policy thrusts and his personal security claims. “Why after claiming you and yours are receiving multiple death threats are you parading your kids around Ottawa?” asked one user. “The greedy grifter voted against dental care for kids, seniors, and low income, but we pay for all of yours,” added another.

The comments got even louder when some users went full timing on attacking those who stood against the family celebration. One Poilievre supporter defended him: “Low life scum shitting on a post about a child’s birthday. You are the type of person that children need protection from.” Another one replied, “They’re having the rave in a secure location you liberal scum,” to the accusations about security.

Security concerns were at the center of numerous comments on the pros and cons of posting pictures of children online. One user wrote, “You’re a public figure. Protecting your children’s identities should be paramount. Instead you’re advertising them. Weird.” Another joked about the superhero theme: “Outing his secret identity? Not cool.”

Completely side-tracked into political debates from pandemic policy to events to look forward to, the birthday posts. One user went for the jugular about Tuesday, “I can’t wait to see you begin schooling Mark Carney on Tuesday. Cpac becomes must see tv.”

However, nearly all of the reply remained focused on the celebration itself. Several users described their experiences with kids who love Spider-Man. One grandmother said, “My grandson who is turning 18 in October was Spider-Man when he was 4 and 5 and 6 then he turned into a Sasquatch hunter.” Another added: “My grandson is 4 and what a delightful age. He is beautiful and enjoy him and make many memories.”

The unpleasant reception surrounding Poilievre’s family post elucidates how even private moments, when lived by leadership, become politicized. While supporters thanked the opposition leader for giving them a glimpse of his life, the critics used that opportunity as a platform for broader political complaints, immediately turning a child’s birthday into Toronto’s up-to-date battle.

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The incident seems an echo of challenges faced by politicians trying to keep their family life private while being active on socializing venues, where every post is scrutinized by political opponents. Additionally, Poilievre often finds himself at the center of political conversations, making it difficult to balance public scrutiny with personal privacy.