February 7, 2025 - Class Activity
By: Minaal, Savannah and Jordan
Jagmeet Singh
Singh predominantly had affection posts that did not mention policy. Six out of ten of the
analyzed posts were examples of these affection posts. Topics included birthdays, holidays, and
family posts. The images used in these posts followed the “affection” coding, showing lots of
hugs, embraces and handshakes. Compared to other political candidates, it appears that Singh
uses emotional appeal and calls to interact more than others.
Justin Trudeau
Trudeau had a lot of posts that mentioned some sort of policy, mainly referring to the
current tariffs that are being brought on by president Trump in the US. In his last ten posts there
seven of them mentioned a policy of some sort. In these posts there were no calls for
mobilization or interaction made. The posts represented a mixture of topics such as his
daughter’s birthday, remembering victims, choosing Canada and the tariffs. Four of the ten
posts focus on the tariffs showing how current these events are. The images Trudeau uses for
his post represent different categories. He uses “affection” the most, followed by “speaking”.
Pierre Poilievre
Poilievre’s Instagram posts vary in tone and content as well but they are predominantly
focusing on political issues that resonate with his audience. Posts related to carbon tax and
fentanyl trafficking highlight Poilievre’s stance on important policies and critiques of the current
government. Some of these posts fall under the “ideological” or “confidence” code as they are
photos of him speaking confidently. Some fall under the “speaking” code along with posts that
encourage discussion or action on key issues suggesting solutions or calling for stricter laws.
Some posts are coded as affection because they focus on comparing Poilievre to Justin
Treudeau, shaking hands making it look like a personal connection or appeal to emotions. He
also posts a bunch of patriotic posts like Canada First which appeals to national pride and
loyalty. While some of his posts encourage mobilization or interaction, the majority of them
convey Poilievre's ideological stance and thoughts on Canadian policies.