Canada’s federal Conservative Party has retracted a promotional video released over the weekend after it faced backlash for including foreign footage. The video, which showcased Canadian landscapes and patriotic themes, controversially featured Russian fighter jets and stock footage from other countries.
The video, meant to illustrate Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s vision of Canada, included scenes of Canadian fighter jets on a training mission while showing Russian-made warplanes, identified as Su-17 and Su-27 models. This imagery was particularly criticized given Russia’s ongoing conflict with Ukraine.
Sarah Fischer, the Conservative Party’s director of communications, stated, “The video was removed — mistakes happen,” in response to the criticism. The video’s use of foreign stock footage, including clips from Ukraine and footage that was not filmed in Canada, sparked significant online ridicule. Canadian New Democratic Party (NDP) MP Charlie Angus highlighted these issues on social media, describing the video as depicting a “fake Canada” and drawing international attention.
The video also featured scenes that were criticized for inaccuracies, such as a depiction of a Canadian family celebrating sobriety with wine, which some viewers pointed out as contradictory to the intended message. The footage of a student and fighter jets was also found to be from a Ukrainian university.
The Conservative Party’s retraction of the video follows widespread criticism and social media attention highlighting these discrepancies.