How young men are changing what conservatism looks like in Canada

Adam Beattie was walking with a friend in downtown Vancouver on a rainy winter day in 2023 when a stranger, who appeared to be high on fentanyl, punched him in the head.

They reported the attack to police, but Beattie says he was told that even if arrested, the attacker would likely be released a few hours later.

Beattie dropped the matter, but ended up moving to a Vancouver suburb where the rent was cheaper and he would feel safer.

"It was a radicalizing experience," Beattie said. 

The assault confirmed for Beattie something he had long suspected: that the promise of a secure middle-class existence had been undone by Liberal policies aimed primarily at older generations. 

"We're on the front line of all the crap that's going on," Beattie, 30, said of his fellow male Gen-Zers and young millennials.

"The only people who are capable of living life without having to face that, frankly, are an older generation who live in protected neighbourhoods, who bought into those neighbourhoods when those neighbourhoods were inexpensive."

After the attack, Beattie, who was working for B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad at the time, started using his social media accounts to discuss crime and drug policy.

Now, with more than 180,000 followers, he's one of the most popular conservative influencers in Canada on TikTok, where he uses the name Robin Skies, a holdover from his days as a musician.

In recent videos, Beattie has accused boomers of not giving a "flying fudge" about younger generations and argues "Canada is 100 per cent broken." He has described Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's vision for the country as "f--king glorious."

Young influencers like Beattie have refashioned what conservatism looks and sounds like in Canada. It's an energy that Poilievre tapped into as he rebuilt the Conservative Party following its defeat in the 2021 election.

Gen-Z support made the Tories look edgy, connected to digital natives and poised to capture the anti-incumbent vibe that ricocheted across democracies after the COVID-19 pandemic.

While the second term of U.S. President Donald Trump has upended the polling lead Poilievre carried into 2025, young men have, so far, remained an unshakeable part of his base.

"The demographic most likely today to say they're going to vote Conservative in our polling are men under the age of 30," said David Coletto, founder and CEO of the polling firm Abacus Data in Ottawa. "That is a complete change to the last few decades of Canadian politics."