When news broke that Charlie Kirk had been assassinated during a campus event in Utah on Sept. 10, the shock quickly spread north of the border.
Immediately, many Canadians paid tribute to the 31-year-old founder of the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA. Online, the assassination became a rallying point — and for some, a call to action.
“I was horrified,” said Élie Cantin-Nantel, 22, an Ottawa-based independent journalist who has previously written for conservative media outlets The Hub and True North Media.
“This guy was my hero, one of my biggest inspirations.”
Observing the outpouring of support for Kirk in the hours following his assassination, Cantin-Nantel decided to gauge whether Canadian conservatives might be interested in the Canadian equivalent of Turning Point USA.
A callout to his more than 16,000 followers on X generated a torrent of interest.
“What conservatives have to do … is not only double down … [but] quintuple down on our conservatism and on our … activities as conservatives within society,” Cantin-Nantel told Canadian Affairs in an interview.
For Cantin-Nantel and others, Kirk’s death is not only a tragedy but an opportunity — to build a movement for Canada’s young conservatives. Their challenge is: can the formula that made Turning Point USA a powerhouse in the U.S be transplanted to Canada’s very different political culture?
American model
Founded by Kirk in 2012, Turning Point USA ultimately came to be a byword for youth-driven conservatism. With its roughly 900 campus chapters, flashy conferences and millions of social media followers, the organization can legitimately take credit for bringing more youth voters to the Republican Party.
“What Turning Point did was build a youth movement based on conservative principles, of free markets, of tradition, of free speech,” Cantin-Nantel said.
“I think we should do the same thing … help build the next generation of conservative leaders.”
But Canada is not the United States, Cantin-Nantel acknowledges. “If you bring Turning Point USA as Turning Point USA to Canada … it has to reflect the values of its American counterpart,” he said, noting it would need to be a multi-faith and multi-ethnic movement.
Kate Marland, who oversees a youth mentorship program at the Montreal Economic Institute think tank, agrees that any attempt to replicate Turning Point in Canada would require major adaptation.
“I don’t think that the Overton window is such in Canada that if we were to copy and paste what Turning Point USA is, that it would work,” said Marland, who has attended several Turning Point events in the U.S.
“There are so many talented people on the right in Canada, people doing great things, great thinkers and scholarships and studies being put out,” said Marland.
“But having gone to Turning Point events and experiencing … something that’s totally engaging, and then going to events up here, there’s not really any comparison.”
In Marland’s view, Canadian conservatives have been reluctant to embrace the kind of cultural and faith-oriented messaging Kirk championed.
“[Canadian conservatives are] still very much wedded to the golden handcuffs of libertarianism and obsessively worshiping the free market,” she said.
Canadian gap
Canada does already have some organizations that promote conservative values among young Canadians.
The Runnymede Society has student chapters at all of Canada’s law faculties outside Quebec. It hosts an annual Law and Freedom conference that attracts members of the legal community who would often self-identify as conservative.
“Runnymede … is nonpartisan and its commitment is [to] … the principle of constitutionalism,” said Runnymede’s former national director Kristopher Kinsinger, referring to a belief in limited government, the rule of law and fundamental freedoms.
The Canada Strong and Free Network, a conservative non-profit aimed at building leadership and policy capacity on the Canadian right, has previously organized youth mentorships. And the Montreal Economic Institute’s Liberty and Leadership program, run by Marland, places young conservatives in internships.
None of these existing organizations, however, look like Turning Point’s outspoken, influencer-first, culturally conservative, rally-style brand.
Kirk was perhaps best known for visiting university campuses and engaging in short exchanges with progressive students about cultural issues, many of which would go viral on the internet.
Marland says Canadian conservative organizations are often afraid to engage with the cultural issues that are top of mind for young Canadians.
“We as a movement are totally failing … Young people care about immigration … crime … family formation… We really do ourselves a disservice by pretending that young people only want to talk about affordability,” she said.
“If we don’t provide something that’s more institutionally grounded that addresses the issues that Turning Point addresses, it gives young people nowhere to go, and so then they have to go to the most extreme options,” she said.
Structural barriers
Canada’s more conservative conservative culture is not the only obstacle to creating a Canadian analog to Turning Point USA.
In the U.S., Turning Point has benefited from tax rules that permit tax-deductible donations to organizations that engage in political advocacy. By contrast, Canadian charities face strict limits on political activity.
“The charity rules are just so different in Canada … up here we are under such a microscope by the [Canada Revenue Agency],” Marland said. “[The organization] would … have to not be a charity and somehow figure out a way to get money.”
Turning Point has also had the advantage of tapping into the U.S.’s massive donor base. The group has drawn in tens of millions annually — US$85 million in revenue in 2024 alone — thanks to a mix of wealthy donors and grassroots contributors.
In Canada, the older, wealthier individuals who typically fund conservative political projects are more concerned with economic issues than the cultural issues that have become so central to Turning Point’s advocacy, says Marland.
“It’s a heavy lift to convince many … Boomer Canadians that supporting faith, family and freedom for young people is … a good use of money,” she said.
A more cautious climate on university campuses also complicates things.
“There is a genuine concern [among advocacy organizations] … that the risk is greater to engage in those sorts of events than it was two weeks ago,” Kinsinger said, referring to the impact of Kirk’s assassination at a university event.
Kinsinger also pointed to the problem of the “heckler’s veto,” where protest is “used to shut down other expression,” particularly when controversial speakers are invited to campuses.
Cantin-Nantel argues that, despite these obstacles, now is the time to think big. One idea he entertains is an annual conference for conservative youth.
“A great one would be to organize a young conservative conference … a physical place where [young conservatives] from all across the country can come and … build community.”
For Cantin-Nantel, now is the time to nurture that community. “When you kill our heroes, we will become stronger,” he said.
Whether that resolve leads to the creation of a new organization, or simply pushes existing ones to change, remains an open question.
Wow!! I cannot believe young people believe in this facist either supremacist garbage disguised as something good. Truly bone chilling times to be alive to witness the fall of society yet again due to white supremacist ignorance.
Unfortunate that you cannot see the value of such an organization – one that empowers youth to evaluate their positions through free-will rather than being subjected to labels and shamed by those like you who politicize everything.
I don’t think you followed Kirk. He wasn’t advocating free will but conformity to a certain discipline of a church with its narrow views on family and sexual orientation. He advocates women staying at home to raise kids and allowing the men to be the guiding power in a marriage. He targeted any leftist public worker whether in education or government or corporations encouraging his followers to protest their positions with a view to getting them fired—-not my idea of feee speech. Yes he was galvanizing on some campuses at the same time he expressed anti-Semitic and anti-Black views. Spare me and the rest of Canada and keep this sort of group out of our country.
Its a shane you are doing narrow minded.
Oh boy youre an idiot. He is a WORLD HERO. Everyone should be speaking about him. What are we.teachimg our children by NOT?
He believed in EQUALITY. Not favoring or demeaning someone for their culture or the colour of their skin. You missed it didnt you!? Shame on you!!
Spot on! Glenn would not be able to toss around the labels fascist and supremacist, if he would be willing to listen to Charlie’s unedited debates. He is indoctrinated and unable to think critically…
The truth should be preached
Jesus is the way and truth and life!
There is no other way!
God is love and He gave His only begotten Son Jesus to die for our sins.
Your argument needs to be fundamentally and factually correct before it can be argued. Charlie Kirk was neither a fascist or a white supremacist. If there has anyone that could be labelled as ignorant, it would not Charlie. The movement is most definitely not “the fall of society but an awakening and a revival of faith, solid core values, freedom and respect of speech, thoughts, opinions of others as a stop to violence and hatred. You should really check out his podcasts,
his campus debates and learn what he really espoused because you are incredibly misinformed
You were much kinder than me with this comment. Totally agree with you. Can’t believe how ignorant and absolutely wrong some of these comments are.candace Owen’s was one of his best friends.
Ignorant comment! I cannot believe you are do narrow minded
Charlie Kirk was an out and out racist who championed “Great Replacement Theory”, the conspiracy theory that liberals and Jews were deliberately replacing white people of European descent with coloured people. Kirk has stated that the American civil rights movement was a mistake and Martin Luther King was a bad person. This all points to the origin of the modern American conservative movement in a reaction against de-segregation in the early sixties. Trump’s slogan “Make America Great Again” is suggestive of a yearning for the days when segregation between whites and blacks was the rule in the American South. Hopefully, none of these trends will have any purchase in Canada since we do not share in Americas horrendous history of slavery and civil war. Here’s hoping that President Trump’s hostility and belligerence against a former trusted ally – Canada – will put the kibosh on any “Turning Point” in Canada.
Sorry guy. You are lying about Charlie Kirk. The worst part is that you know you are lying. How sad to be you.
Nope. Kirk’s comments are well documented. Now you can behave like a very orange pumpkin of a politician to the south and simply repeat ad nauseum “fake media” or “lies all lies” but there is ample evidence of Kirk proselytizing racism, sexism, and religious zealotry. Of v c purse freedom on speech allowed him to say such things. Let’s not pretend that his assassination made him a saint. He was very flawed in life and remains so in death.
Exactly! He’s so blinded by hate and propaganda, that he’s unable to think straight.
Thanks Jim. I didn’t even know where to begin with “Charles Justice ” It is lies and dangerous rhetoric to be spewing. Incredibly hateful and above all, he is so poisoned in his heart and mind
Several of my more rabid conservative friends and relatives have been posting on Turning Point Canada. I am not surprised, and can already see they are becoming more extreme.
Yes! Let’s get rid of this globalist Liberal government. For those that support this gov’t, you will regret your ballot. In time, our freedoms will be overrun, canceled out by this gov’t. You lack the foresight and desire for all that is right, just, and true. You reflect what the Liberals, the far left, has become. The rest of us will have to pay the price for your ignorance, but we will continue to fight for freedom, for our country, and our future. Let’s do this! We ARE Charlie!
No we aren’t. And no we don’t want to be. For the record, the Conservative Party of Canada supports free speech and families and business but does not support restricting access to abortion, denying adults freedom of sexual choice, that Jewish people are planning to replace white populations with immigrants or Blacks should be feared. Kirk did. We don’t need this immature, infantilizing philosophy of Kirk’s in Canada. We are doing much better without it, thank you.
If loving God, your country, your fellow human beings, and a constructive life is extreme, then I am glad to be extreme.
Yes Canada needs Turning Point. Our country has become a godless country where family faith and community is crumbling . Our leadership are many godless leaders focused on self with little concern for the well being of Canadians
Yes. Our young people need the hope only God can give them. Canada has become a godless country where faith family and communities are crumbling. On average our leadership have no hope to offer as they to have lost their moral compass. Canada needs revival
We are getting it. People of the Muslim faith are growing and devout. We have more Buddhists, Sikhs and Jewish immigrants. . Great for Canada.
This needs to happen. I would be absolutely interested in this.
No chance a TP chapter will establish in Canada. Canada is a broken society in a broken country. It died under the horses hooves and the riot police batons in Ottawa.
All the king’s horses…..
You might be right, that Turning Point will not be established in Canada. Hopefully, you will be proven wrong. The future of Canada and generation Z depends on it!
Young people in Canada need this. Maybe not so religious based, but conservative value based, that would work. the crazy radical leftists in Canada are poisoning the minds of our kids..they are taught to be left leaning in grade school. I’ve got 4 grown kids and 3 grand kids. I worked hard to deprogram them after school each day. all of them are good successful kids with no wacky leftist ideas. I’m a non practicing Catholic. Once again, a TP Canada is needed , but with less emphasis on religion..that WILL work
The truth should be preached
Jesus is the way and truth and life!
There is no other way!
God is love and He gave His only begotten Son Jesus to die for our sins.
ARPA (Association for Reformed Political Action) is an amazing Canadian Conservative organization that is definitely worth looking into if one is searching for a TP Canada type group. The only downside is that they are out of a very small Christian denomination which is a little close minded.
Yes to turning point Canada. We need that here desperately