Conservative Party posts then deletes video showing Russian-made jets

The federal Conservative Party posted and then removed from one of its social media pages a promotional video that contained footage of Russian-made fighter jets.

The video posted on X, formerly Twitter, over the weekend presented a portion of a speech that Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre gave at this year's Calgary Stampede along with stock footage.

At one point during the video,Poilievre talks about fighter jets conducting a training mission, preparing "to defend our home and native land." But the footage used showed Russian-made jets.

"The video was removed mistakes happen," said Sarah Fischer, director of communications for the Conservative Party of Canada. Fischer also pointed to a 2011 Liberal ad which used stock images of Canadians rather than real supporters.

The Liberals were quick to jump on the video, accusing the Conservatives of being "soft on Russia."

"Shockingly, Mr. Poilievre's dream for Canada includes Russian fighter jets (an Su-17 and what appears to be an Su-27) flying over our glorious prairies on a 'training mission.'This comes as Russia continues its illegal, unprovoked war of choice against Ukraine and the international rules that keep us all safe," a press release from Defence Minister Bill Blair's office said.

Some social media users also raised questions about whether some of the other stock footage used in the video was actually recorded in Canada.

"If you are trying to generate content and you're trying to animate and make a more dynamic campaign speech, then you could turn to stock videos. It's not all too uncommon," saidFenwick McKelvey, a professor of information and communication technology at Concordia University.

Other parties have posted social media videos they laterdeleted. Last month, Justice Minister Arif Virani posted and thendeleted a video containing a number of errors regarding the government's changes to the capital gains tax.

McKelvey said that posting content online comes with the risk of making mistakes.

"It's not necessarily a good thing, but part of the game is if you make these mistakes, people catch you on it," he said.