Presentation short abstract

Climate obstruction is far from a gender neutral phenomenon. This paper investigates how the Canadian far-right skilfully leverage masculinities to secure consent for their particular environmental mandate, and asks what such a misogynistic complexion may imply for climate ambitions moving forward.

Presentation long abstract

Climate denial and refusal remain central to the ontologies of far-right political projects in many of the countries most responsible for rising temperatures. This article demonstrates how misogyny facilitates the proliferation of obstructionist rhetoric. Specifically, the People’s Party of Canada’s (PPC) climate discourse is analyzed through a feminist lens anchored in Gramscian theorisations of hegemony and masculinity. I find that the PPC articulates a heavily masculinized and topically diverse form of obstruction, simultaneously enacting attributes and ideals of industrial/breadwinner, frontier, petro and (to a lesser extent) ecomodern masculinities. The broadness of the party’s appeals and their affirmation of particularly fragile masculine archetypes are assessed to be deliberate discursive moves constituent of a broader strategy to secure power within the Canadian political landscape via dominant fossil fuel and patriarchal regimes. Ultimately, several strategies for subverting such a tenacious discourse are discussed, including a steadfast commitment to feminist ecological alternatives and an unwavering endorsement of multiculturalist ethics.