The man who could become the future prime minister of Canada

At the age of 20, Pierre Poilievre already had a road map to Canada.

The leader of Canada’s Conservative Party, now 45, laid out a small-government, low-tax vision for the country in an essay contest about what he would do as prime minister.

“A dollar left in the hands of consumers and investors is more productive than a dollar spent by a politician,” he said.

Poilievre is one step closer to realizing his vision, and even gave a nod to the essay in a recent interview with psychologist and conservative commentator Jordan Peterson.

For months, Poilievre’s Conservatives have enjoyed a big lead over the struggling Liberals in national polls, suggesting they would win a majority government if an election were held today.

Now Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced his resignation, and with an election likely to be called soon, Poilievre is promising to return to “common sense politics.”

For Canadians frustrated by a sluggish economy and a housing and affordability crisis, he is offering an alternative to what he has called Trudeau’s “authoritarian socialism.”

A victory would make him part of a wave of right-wing populist leaders who have toppled ruling governments in the West.

While he has drawn comparisons to Donald Trump (and has followers like Elon Musk and others in the US president-elect’s orbit), Poilievre’s story is largely Canadian.

Poilievre was born in the western province of Alberta, Canada, to a 16-year-old mother who gave him up for adoption. He was taken in by two school teachers, who raised him in the suburbs of Calgary.

“I have always believed that voluntary generosity between family and community is the greatest social safety net we can have,” he told Maclean’s Magazine in 2022, reflecting on his early life.

“That’s my starting point.”

As a teenager, Poilievre showed an early interest in politics and campaigned for the local Conservatives.

Poilievre was studying international relations at the University of Calgary when he met Stockwell Day, who served as a cabinet minister under former Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

At the time, Day was seeking the leadership of the Canadian Alliance (a right-wing party with roots in Alberta that became part of the Modern Conservatives in a merger in 2003) and turned to Poilievre to help with campus outreach.

“I was impressed from the beginning,” Day told the BBC in an interview. “He seemed to be a no-nonsense guy, but full of energy and able to get people’s attention.”

Day’s leadership attempt was successful and he set out for Ottawa with Poilievre as assistant. Some time later, Poilievre walked into his office on a cold winter night to ask his opinion about running for office.

Poilievre won a seat in Ottawa in 2004 at the age of 25, making him one of the youngest elected Conservatives at the time. He has held that position ever since.

In Ottawa, Poilievre received the nickname Skippy from both teammates and enemies due to his youthful enthusiasm and sharp tongue.

He gained a reputation for being “very combative and partisan,” said Randy Besco, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Toronto.

Behind the closed doors of conservative group meetings, Poilievre showed his diplomatic side, Day said.

“Pierre was always good at saying, ‘Okay, you know what? I hadn’t thought about that,’ or he would listen and say, ‘Have you thought about this?'” Day said.

Still, confrontational politics became a cornerstone of Poilievre’s public persona. After becoming Conservative leader in 2022, he would attack Trudeau with scathing comments as a way to connect with disaffected voters.

Sometimes it has gotten him into trouble. In April, he was expelled from the House of Commons for calling the prime minister “crazy.”

Poilievre told the Montreal Gazette newspaper in June that he is a fan of “straight talk.”

“I believe that when politeness conflicts with the truth, I choose the truth,” he said. “I think we have been too polite for too long with our political class.”

His combative style has also been divisive and he has been criticized for oversimplifying complex issues for political gain.

While Canadians have been open to the opposition leader’s message as a change from Trudeau’s progressive policies, just over half of them have an unfavorable opinion of him. according to the latest surveys.

Poilievre has also had to change his mind since the announcement of Trudeau’s resignation, to get ahead of the inevitable confrontation between him and the next Liberal leader.

The Conservative leader has been described as a “soft” populist for his direct appeals to ordinary Canadians and his criticism of establishment elites, including corporate Canada.

He spoke out in support of those who protested vaccine mandates during the 2021 “Freedom Convoy” protests that paralyzed Ottawa for weeks.

He has pledged “the biggest crackdown on crime in Canadian history,” promising to keep repeat offenders behind bars.

On social issues, Poilievre has rarely intervened, something that Professor Besco said is typical of senior conservatives, who see such issues as “a lost issue.”

While Poilievre voted against legalizing gay marriage in the early 2000s, he recently said it will remain a legal “full stop” if elected.

The Conservatives also do not support legislation to regulate abortion, although they allow MPs to vote freely on the issue.

“I would lead a small government that minded its own business,” Poilievre said in June.

in the middle of a public debate in Canada in recent months On immigration, the party has said it would link levels of newcomers to the number of new homes built and focus on attracting skilled workers.

Poilievre’s wife, Anaida, came to Canada as a child refugee from Caracas, Venezuela.

The Conservative leader has pushed for the integration of newcomers, saying Canada does not need to be a “separate society.”

One of his key promises — cutting Trudeau’s national carbon pricing program, arguing it is a financial burden on families — has raised questions about how his government would address pressing issues like climate change.

Canada also faces the threat of heavy tariffs when Trump takes office later this month, and the U.S.-Canada relationship is expected to be a major challenge.

Poilievre has rejected Trump comments suggesting Canada become 51st American state, promising to “put Canada first.”

Otherwise, he has not intervened much in foreign policy and his messages focus rather on restoring “the Canadian dream.”

Above all, Poilievre says he wants to do away with the “grandiosity” and “utopian wakesim” that he says has defined the Trudeau era, in favor of “things that are grand and great about everyday people.”

“I’ve been saying the exact same thing this whole time,” he told Mr. Peterson.