So who's 'woke,' what does it mean and how is it being used in Canadian politics?

The word "woke" — originally used to describe awareness of discrimination — has been adopted by figures on the political right to discredit policies and politicians they consider too progressive, experts say.

The word was directed earlier this week at the Liberals and NDP by Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre. And some Liberals have been dancing around the term when asked about it by journalists.

"It's a term that's been evolving fast," said Jennifer Saul, a professor who specializes in the philosophy of political language at the University of Waterloo.

"For a while, there were people happily identifying themselves as woke. It now has been adopted as a term of abuse."

After Poilievre was elected to lead the Conservatives, a number of Liberal MPs told Radio-Canada that they want their party to shift to the centre to combat Poilievre's populist brand of conservatism.

"We need a government that is down to earth and less woke," one MP, speaking on the condition they not be identified, told Radio-Canada.

Poilievre would later call the Liberals and the NDP — who are supporting the government through a confidence-and supply-agreement — a "radical woke coalition" in his first address to caucus as Conservative leader.

Poilievre's use of "woke" as a pejorative had a number of Liberal cabinet ministers circling the word cautiously during the party's caucus retreat earlier this week.

"Frankly, I don't even know what it means to be woke. I'm working to serve Canadians," said Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault.

"I certainly don't believe I'm woke, trust me, and no one in my family believes that either," said Innovation and Science Minister François-Philippe Champagne.

Even NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh didn't explicitly embrace the term when asked about it during an interview on CBC Radio's The House — although he did say he doubts Poilievre understands what it means.

"I don't think that Mr. Poilievre knows what he means when he says that. I don't think he understands what he's saying when he just throws the words around," Singh told host Catherine Cullen in the interview airing Saturday.

"I think it's a baseless kind of position. It doesn't really add up to the reality," he said, adding that his party's focus is on getting help to Canadians.

The use of the term "woke" in a political context originates with Black activists in the United States in the early- to mid-20th century, according to McGill political science professor Terri Givens.