The Conservative Party of Canada deletes incorrectly displayed video featuring Russian military aircraft, showcasing patriotism.
The video claims to show authentic Canadian scenes and landscapes, yet it's been criticized for incorporating foreign footage.
Monday, Sarah Fischer, spokesperson for the Conservative Party of Canada, stated to CBC, "The video was taken down — mistakes can happen."
Within the video, Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre discusses Canadian fighter jets conducting a mission to defend the homeland, but as his narrative continues, the footage depicts Russian-made warplanes.
"Surprisingly, Mr. Poilievre's vision for Canada involves Russian fighter jets (an Su-17 and what appears to be an Su-27) flying over our beautiful prairies during a 'training mission.' This coincides with Russia's ongoing, unjustified, aggressive war against Ukraine and the global rules that safeguard us all," said a statement released by Blair's office Monday, according to CBC.
Users obtained the video, which continues to circulate on social media. NDP MP Charlie Angus shared the video, noting it also contained stock footage from other countries. CNN discovered that several of the videos were indeed stock footage filmed in other nations.
"Poilievre's made-up Canada, protected by Russian jets, with a Venezuelan sunset, is drawing worldwide interest," Angus wrote on X.
Poilievre narrates a tale of a father dropping off his child at school then driving along, hearing the sounds of hammering using Canadian wood to construct, observing farmers at work in the field, and gazing up at the sky to see fighter jets.
"The same plane is soon seen from a university campus where students are rushing to class...knowing that when they arrive at class, they will have the opportunity to debate openly and fearlessly without the fear of censorship," he says.
Users have highlighted that the video depicts a student observing jets which was actually recorded at a Ukrainian university. CNN confirmed that the stock footage was indeed from Ukraine.
He mentions Canadian families, "including the student, the welder, kids, mothers, and fathers," coming together at the end of the day to celebrate as one of them has been sober for 10 years.
However, users humorously point out that the footage edited into his narration shows the family consuming wine to celebrate the milestone.
"I honestly thought this was a satire. This is Pierre's imagined Canada where people kill food for dinner, drink wine to celebrate sobriety, rely on Russian jets for protection, and believe Ukrainian universities are Canada," Angus wrote.
Despite the video's attempt to portray a quintessential Canadian narrative, it has been criticized for using footage from various parts of the Americas and the world. This mismatch between the intended setting and the actual source of the footage has led to widespread discussions across the globe.
