Canada, like all countries with a monarch, does not bestow an official title on the spouse of the prime minister. We don't have a First Lady or First Gentleman, and they are not expected to play a role in their husband or wife's administration.
That being said, spouses have become an increasingly common sight on the campaign trail here in the Great White North. Aside from serving as their significant other's biggest cheerleader, they humanize them and remind voters that there's a person within the politician.
This election is no different. The wives of both Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre and his Liberal rival Mark Carney have been seen traversing the country helping vie for votes, although the former became an integral part of her husband's campaign much earlier than the latter.
"We've seen Ana Poilievre — from day one of Pierre's leadership — be by his side, travel with him, be at events, and introduce him," Makami College Applied Politics and Public Affairs Department Head Erika Barootes told the Western Standard. "They're very affectionate. They look like they're stick-in-glove, and I think that that helps speak to voters about that strength and power that they have as a duo."
While Diana Fox Carney was present when her husband won the Liberal leadership race in early March, she only made her first campaign appearance on April 1. Barootes suggested that this may have been strategic.
"I don't know if I buy that Carney having Diana up there now is just because he's seeing how it's impacting voters," Barootes said, "but they're copying Pierre and Ana."
She noted that Mrs. Carney has "a little bit more of a contentious background" as a "very hard economist and climate policy expert," noting that those are things her husband is "maybe trying to rid the Liberals of."
Carney and his wife met at Oxford in the 90s, and quickly bonded over their mutual love of hockey. She played for the university women's team, and he tended goal for the men's side. The pair got married in 1994, and went on to have three children while splitting their time between Canada and her home country of England.
"She has a British accent," Barootes continued. "Does that work against him? Not to say we're not very close with Britain — we are a Commonwealth country and have the monarch — but I think that he has been criticized for not being in Canada. His business is in the States, he spent time at the Bank of England, and so maybe she backs up that criticism because of where she was born?"
An accomplished environmental policy adviser and think tank leader, Mrs. Carney has long hobnobbed with members of British high society, and during her husband's stint as the governor of the Bank of England, they were ubiquitous on the London social scene.
They have been spotted with a number of controversial figures, including convicted sex trafficker and Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell. While there is no evidence that the Carneys were ever friends with her, images of the trio together have drew attention to their elitist past.
Mrs. Poilievre's background, on the other hand, has played right into her husband's campaign message. She's repeatedly cited her life's journey as evidence of the Canadian dream he has promised to bring back.
She was born in Caracas, Venezuela, and lived there until the age of eight, at which point she and her family fled to Montreal to escape the ensuing political and economic turmoil. Her father, who was a bank manager in his home country, worked on a farm upon arriving in Canada, and they lived paycheque to paycheque.
While studying at the University of Ottawa, she began working as a political staffer on the Hill. It was there in 2012 that she met her future husband, who was well into his career as a Member of Parliament.
The pair got married in Portgual five years later, and went on to have two children. They have been — both in their personal lives, and politically — integral to each others' success.
"Pierre is here because he's with Ana too," Barootes said. "He couldn't do this without her, and he says that a lot of the time. I think that it's so authentic that it comes across that way. I don't think you can fake it."
There are a number of differences in how the two couple present themselves, however. Poilievre and his wife have made a point of not only holding hands and kissing, but openly expressing their love for one another during campaign stops.
Conversely, the Carneys have taken a more reserved tone, often walking apart and avoiding public displays of affection.
That's not to say Mrs. Carney doesn't speak highly of her husband. While doing an introduction at the aforementioned rally in Winnipeg, for example, she said she was "immensely proud of him." They went on to share a hug and brief kiss on stage.
Carney's predecessor, Justin Trudeau, had his marriage fall apart while in office. Since then, Canadians appear to be taking more of an interest in how the prime minister conducts themselves in their relationship.
"Is it a TSN turning point for the election? No," Barootes said when asked how much she believed the average voter cares about such aspects of the leaders' campaigns, "but I think, especially for maybe the more traditional values people across the country, it's really refreshing to see."
