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Pierre Marcel Poilievre ( ; born June 3, 1979) is a Canadian politician who has served as the leader of the
Conservative Party of Canada The Conservative Party of Canada (french: Parti conservateur du Canada), colloquially known as the Tories, is a federal political party in Canada. It was formed in 2003 by the merger of the two main right-leaning parties, the Progressive Con ...
and the leader of the Official Opposition since 2022. Poilievre has served as a
member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...
(MP) since 2004. Poilievre studied at the
University of Calgary The University of Calgary (U of C or UCalgary) is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The University of Calgary started in 1944 as the Calgary branch of the University of Alberta, founded in 1908, prior to being ins ...
, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in international relations. He then worked as an advisor to
Canadian Alliance The Canadian Alliance (french: Alliance canadienne), formally the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance (french: Alliance réformiste-conservatrice canadienne), was a centre-right to right-wing federal political party in Canada that existed u ...
leader
Stockwell Day Stockwell Burt Day Jr. (born August 16, 1950) is a Canadian former politician who led the Canadian Alliance from 2000 to 2001, and a member of the Conservative Party of Canada. A provincial cabinet minister from Alberta, Day served as minister ...
. Poilievre was first elected to the
House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...
following the 2004 federal election; he at first represented the
Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
-area riding of
Nepean—Carleton Nepean—Carleton was a federal electoral district (Canada), electoral district in Ontario, Canada that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons from 1979 to 1988, and again from 1997 to 2015. It included the southern ...
and then represented the re-established riding of Carleton. He served as minister for democratic reform for 2013 to 2015 and then as
minister of employment and social development The Minister of Employment and Social Development was a position in the Canadian government from 2013 to 2015. Its responsibilities are now split between: * the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, and * the Minis ...
in 2015. From 2017 to 2022, Poilievre served as the shadow minister for finance and briefly as the shadow minister for jobs and industry. He ran for leader of the Conservative Party in its 2022 leadership election, winning on the first ballot. Poilievre has been described as a
libertarian Libertarianism (from french: libertaire, "libertarian"; from la, libertas, "freedom") is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state's e ...
and
populist Populism refers to a range of political stances that emphasize the idea of "the people" and often juxtapose this group against " the elite". It is frequently associated with anti-establishment and anti-political sentiment. The term developed ...
.


Early life


Background and childhood

Poilievre was born on June 3, 1979, in
Calgary, Alberta Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Canadian Prairies, Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,30 ...
to a 16 year-old biological mother, who was of
Irish Canadian ga, Gael-Cheanadaigh , image = Irish_Canadian_population_by_province.svg , image_caption = Irish Canadians as percent of population by province/territory , population = 4,627,00013.4% of the Canadian population (2016) , po ...
descent on her father's side. Poilievre was adopted by schoolteachers Marlene and Donald Poilievre, who is
French Canadian French Canadians (referred to as Canadiens mainly before the twentieth century; french: Canadiens français, ; feminine form: , ), or Franco-Canadians (french: Franco-Canadiens), refers to either an ethnic group who trace their ancestry to Fren ...
, shortly after being born. Poilievre was raised in a modest household in suburban
Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...
, he played
ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...
and went on camping trips with his younger brother, Patrick, who had also been adopted from their biological mother by Marlene and Donald. Growing up, Poilievre worked as a
paperboy A paperboy is someoneoften an older child or adolescentwho distributes printed newspapers to homes or offices on a regular route, usually by bicycle or automobile. In Western nations during the heyday of print newspapers during the early 20th ...
for the ''
Calgary Sun The ''Calgary Sun'' is a daily newspaper published in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It is owned by Postmedia. First published in 1980, the tabloid-format daily replaced the long-running tabloid-size newspaper ''The Albertan'' soon after it was acq ...
''. He attended
Henry Wise Wood High School Henry Wise Wood High School (HWW) is a public high school located in the southwest quadrant of Calgary, Alberta. The school was built in 1961 and is named after Henry Wise Wood, an Alberta pioneer who was instrumental in forming the Alberta W ...
, and was on a
wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...
team until he was forced to stop due to a temporary shoulder tendinitis injury, at the age of 14. Following the injury, Poilievre attended an Alberta Tory riding-association meeting as a new hobby. As a result, he became interested in politics and started reading political books, including
Milton Friedman Milton Friedman (; July 31, 1912 – November 16, 2006) was an American economist and statistician who received the 1976 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his research on consumption analysis, monetary history and theory and the ...
's ''
Capitalism and Freedom ''Capitalism and Freedom'' is a book by Milton Friedman originally published in 1962 by the University of Chicago Press which discusses the role of economic capitalism in liberal society. It has sold more than half a million copies since 1962 and ...
'', a book that greatly influenced his politics. Poilievre became active in the Reform Party and the
Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta The Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta (often referred to colloquially as Progressive Conservative Party of Alberta) was a provincial centre-right party in the Canadian province of Alberta that existed from 1905 to 2020. The party f ...
by participating in meetings of both parties. At the age of 16, Poilievre sold Reform Party memberships for
Jason Kenney Jason Thomas Kenney (born May 30, 1968) is a Canadian former politician who served as the 18th premier of Alberta from 2019 until 2022 and the leader of the United Conservative Party (UCP) from 2017 until 2022. He also served as the member of ...
and also did telephone canvassing for him. He also knocked on doors for political campaigns and served on a
riding association An electoral district association (french: association de circonscription enregistrée), commonly known as a riding association (french: association de comté) or constituency association, is the basic unit of a political party at the level of the ...
. Shortly after turning 17 years old, Poilievre was a delegate to the Reform Party 1996 national convention in
Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
,
British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
. Poilievre's parents, Marlene and Donald, who had married in 1971, separated when he was in his mid-teens. Poilievre's father, Donald, later came out as a
gay man ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...
.


University and early jobs

As an older teenager, Poilievre had a job at
Telus Telus Communications Inc. (TCI) is the wholly owned principal subsidiary of Telus Corporation, a Canadian national telecommunications company that provides a wide range of telecommunications products and services including internet access, voi ...
doing corporate collections by calling businesses. He also later worked briefly as a journalist for ''
Alberta Report The ''Alberta Report'' was a conservative weekly newsmagazine based in Edmonton. It was founded and edited by Ted Byfield, and later run by his son, Link Byfield. It ceased publication in 2003. Promoting his own successor publication in 2004, ...
'', a conservative weekly magazine. At the
University of Calgary The University of Calgary (U of C or UCalgary) is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The University of Calgary started in 1944 as the Calgary branch of the University of Alberta, founded in 1908, prior to being ins ...
, Poilievre studied international relations, following a period of study in commerce. At the age of 19, Poilievre staged a protest against a student union that tried to prevent campus Reform Party supporters from campaigning for their candidate in an Alberta Senate election. Poilievre was one of many Reform members on campus in conflict with the federal
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada (PC; french: Parti progressiste-conservateur du Canada) was a centre-right federal political party in Canada that existed from 1942 to 2003. From Canadian Confederation in 1867 until 1942, the ...
, who they believed to be unprincipled. As a second-year student, in 1999, Poilievre submitted an essay to
Magna International Magna International Inc. is a Canadian parts manufacturer for automakers. It is one of the largest companies in Canada and was recognized on the 2020 ''Forbes'' Global 2000. The company is the largest automobile parts manufacturer in North Ameri ...
's "As
Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
, I Would...", essay contest. His essay, titled "Building Canada Through Freedom", focused on the subject of individual freedom and among other things, argued for a two-term limit for all members of Parliament. As a finalist, Poilievre won $10,000 and won a four-month internship at Magna, with the essay being published in the book that collected the essays titled ''@Stake — "As Prime Minister, I Would..."''@''Stake—"As Prime Minister, I Would...". '' Magna International Inc., 1999, p. 57. Poilievre was president of the Young Tories at the University of Calgary, a club composed of both Progressive Conservative and Reform members, where he clashed with Patrick Brown who was the president of the national
Progressive Conservative Youth Federation The Progressive Conservative Youth Federation (PCYF) was the constitutionally enshrined youth body of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada. When the PC Party and the Canadian Alliance merged in 2004, a formalized youth group was rejected b ...
at the time. Their dispute was over Progressive Conservative leader
Joe Clark Charles Joseph Clark (born June 5, 1939) is a Canadian statesman, businessman, writer, and politician who served as the 16th prime minister of Canada from 1979 to 1980. Despite his relative inexperience, Clark rose quickly in federal polit ...
, whom Poilievre considered to be anti-youth. Concerned that anti-Clark members would be removed, as Brown was an executive for the Progressive Conservatives, Poilievre threatened to shift the Progressive Conservative club to the
United Alternative The Unite the Right movement was a successful Canadian political movement which existed from around the mid-1990s to 2003. The movement came into being when it became clear that neither of Canada's two main right-of-centre political parties, the ...
. Media outlets had obtained a leaked memo of Brown planning to remove anti-Clark youth leaders, but Brown would deny it, leading Poilievre to back down from his threat. Poilievre would later leave university without graduating, but would return to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2008.


Canadian Alliance work

In his early twenties, Poilievre eventually met both his biological mother and his maternal grandfather for the first time. In 2002, he left Calgary and university to work for Alberta Treasurer
Stockwell Day Stockwell Burt Day Jr. (born August 16, 1950) is a Canadian former politician who led the Canadian Alliance from 2000 to 2001, and a member of the Conservative Party of Canada. A provincial cabinet minister from Alberta, Day served as minister ...
's leadership campaign of the
Canadian Alliance The Canadian Alliance (french: Alliance canadienne), formally the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance (french: Alliance réformiste-conservatrice canadienne), was a centre-right to right-wing federal political party in Canada that existed u ...
, having been part of an organization seeking to recruit him. After Day's tenure as Leader of the Official Opposition, Poilievre worked for Day as an advisor. After
Jean Chrétien Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien (; born January 11, 1934) is a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 20th prime minister of Canada from 1993 to 2003. Born and raised in Shawinigan Falls, Quebec, Chrétien is a law graduate from Uni ...
announced he would retire as prime minister of Canada in 2002, Poilievre and
Ezra Levant Ezra Isaac Levant (born February 20, 1972) is a Canadian conservative media personality, political activist, writer, broadcaster, and former lawyer. Levant is the founder and former publisher of the conservative magazine, The'' Western Standard''. ...
, who practised law at the time, wrote an op-ed advocating for the merger of the
Canadian Alliance The Canadian Alliance (french: Alliance canadienne), formally the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance (french: Alliance réformiste-conservatrice canadienne), was a centre-right to right-wing federal political party in Canada that existed u ...
and the Progressive Conservative parties. When Levant was campaigning to replace
Preston Manning Ernest Preston Manning (born June 10, 1942) is a Canadian retired politician. He was the founder and the only leader of the Reform Party of Canada, a Canadian federal political party that evolved into the Canadian Alliance in 2000 which in tur ...
in 2002 Calgary Southwest by-election, Poilievre was his campaign spokesperson until Levant withdrew in order to allow
Stephen Harper Stephen Joseph Harper (born April 30, 1959) is a Canadian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Canada from 2006 to 2015. Harper is the first and only prime minister to come from the modern-day Conservative Party of Canada, ...
to run. In 2003, Poilievre founded a company called 3D Contact Inc. with his partner
Jonathan Denis Jonathan Brian Denis, (born September 22, 1975) is a Canadian politician and lawyer. On May 9, 2012, he was named Solicitor General, Attorney General, and Minister of Justice for the province of Alberta. He represented the constituency of Calga ...
, who would become Alberta Cabinet Minister years later. Their company focused on providing political communications, polling and research services. After founding the company, Poilievre would run for MP as part of the new
Conservative Party of Canada The Conservative Party of Canada (french: Parti conservateur du Canada), colloquially known as the Tories, is a federal political party in Canada. It was formed in 2003 by the merger of the two main right-leaning parties, the Progressive Con ...
which had just merged from the Canadian Alliance and Progressive Conservatives.


Political career


Early political career (2004–2013)

With preparations being made for the
2004 Canadian federal election The 2004 Canadian federal election was held on June 28, 2004, to elect members to the House of Commons of Canada of the 38th Parliament of Canada. The Liberal government of Prime Minister Paul Martin lost its majority but was able to continue in ...
, the 24-year old
Manordale Manordale is a neighbourhood in Knoxdale-Merivale Ward in the west end of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is located in the former City of Nepean. It is bounded on the north and west by Knoxdale Road, east by Woodroffe Avenue, and south by Hunt Club Ro ...
resident Poilievre won the Conservative Party nomination in the riding of
Nepean—Carleton Nepean—Carleton was a federal electoral district (Canada), electoral district in Ontario, Canada that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons from 1979 to 1988, and again from 1997 to 2015. It included the southern ...
to contest incumbent David Pratt of the
Liberal Party of Canada The Liberal Party of Canada (french: Parti libéral du Canada, region=CA) is a federal political party in Canada. The party espouses the principles of liberalism,McCall, Christina; Stephen Clarkson"Liberal Party". ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' ...
. Though Pratt was a two-term incumbent and
cabinet minister A minister is a politician who heads a ministry, making and implementing decisions on policies in conjunction with the other ministers. In some jurisdictions the head of government is also a minister and is designated the ‘prime minister’, ...
, the election was projected to be close between the two. Poilievre was given the nickname "Skippy" early in his political career. Poilievre won his riding and his Conservative Party formed the
Official Opposition Parliamentary opposition is a form of political opposition to a designated government, particularly in a Westminster-based parliamentary system. This article uses the term ''government'' as it is used in Parliamentary systems, i.e. meaning ''th ...
to a Liberal Party
minority government A minority government, minority cabinet, minority administration, or a minority parliament is a government and Cabinet (government), cabinet formed in a parliamentary system when a political party or Coalition government, coalition of parties do ...
. Poilievre entered the
38th Canadian Parliament The 38th Canadian Parliament was in session from October 4, 2004, until November 29, 2005. The membership was set by the 2004 federal election on June 28, 2004, and it changed only somewhat due to resignations and by-elections, but due to the sea ...
at the age of 25 along with
Andrew Scheer Andrew James Scheer (born May 20, 1979) is a Canadian politician who has served as the member of Parliament (MP) for Regina—Qu'Appelle since 2004. Scheer served as the 35th speaker of the House of Commons from 2011 to 2015, and was the lead ...
as the youngest members of the Conservative caucus. Poilievre took up the cause of the
Queensway Carleton Hospital Queensway Carleton Hospital (QCH) is a 355-bed hospital located in the west end of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada that delivers acute care and is west Ottawa's only full-service hospital. QCH was officially opened on October 5, 1976, by then Ontario Prem ...
which was in the midst of an expansion project while facing provincial funding reductions for operations and an increase in rent as its lease with the
National Capital Commission The National Capital Commission (NCC; french: Commission de la capitale nationale, CCN) is the Crown corporation responsible for development, urban planning, and conservation in Canada's Capital Region (Ottawa, Ontario and Gatineau, Quebec), i ...
was set to expire in 2013. Seeking to eliminate the rent the hospital paid, Poilievre introduced, on June 20, 2005, a private member bill C-414, titled ''An Act to prevent the Government of Canada from charging rent to non-profit hospitals''. The bill was defeated in a vote of 165–111 but with
Nepean—Carleton Nepean—Carleton was a federal electoral district (Canada), electoral district in Ontario, Canada that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons from 1979 to 1988, and again from 1997 to 2015. It included the southern ...
MPP John Baird they advocated the hospital only pay a $1 per year rent and implemented that once Baird became
President of the Treasury Board The president of the Treasury Board () is a minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet. The president is the chair of the Treasury Board of Canada (a committee of Cabinet in the Privy Council) and is the minister responsible for the Treasury B ...
the next year. Poilievre also sponsored private member bill C-383, introduced on May 11, 2005, to create a means to
recall Recall may refer to: * Recall (bugle call), a signal to stop * Recall (information retrieval), a statistical measure * ''ReCALL'' (journal), an academic journal about computer-assisted language learning * Recall (memory) * ''Recall'' (Overwatch ...
Members of Parliament through a petition, and bill C-456, on November 24, 2005, to insert parental responsibility into the
Criminal Code A criminal code (or penal code) is a document that compiles all, or a significant amount of a particular jurisdiction's criminal law. Typically a criminal code will contain offences that are recognised in the jurisdiction, penalties that migh ...
by making it an offence for a parent to contribute through negligence, inappropriate action or lack of appropriate action to behaviour that results in their child committing an offence. Poilievre also voiced opposition to the appointment of
Michaëlle Jean Michaëlle Jean (; born September 6, 1957) is a Canadian stateswoman and former journalist who served from 2005 to 2010 as governor general of Canada, the 27th since Canadian Confederation. She is the first Haitian Canadian and black person ...
as the
Governor General of Canada The governor general of Canada (french: gouverneure générale du Canada) is the federal viceregal representative of the . The is head of state of Canada and the 14 other Commonwealth realms, but resides in oldest and most populous realm, t ...
by taking an issue with Jean's past support of
Quebec sovereignty movement The Quebec sovereignty movement (french: Mouvement souverainiste du Québec) is a political movement whose objective is to achieve the sovereignty of Quebec, a province of Canada since 1867, including in all matters related to any provision of ...
. Poilievre took out a petition asking the
Queen of Canada The monarchy of Canada is Canada's form of government embodied by the Canadian sovereign and head of state. It is at the core of Canada's constitutional federal structure and Westminster-style parliamentary democracy. The monarchy is the foundat ...
to dismiss Jean's appointment. After the
death of Elizabeth II On 8 September 2022, at 15:10 BST, Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms, and the longest-reigning British monarch, died of old age at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, at the age of 96. The Queen's death ...
in 2022, Jean said that the Queen dismissed Poilievre's petition over the Queen's belief that she can not intervene in Canadian affairs.


In Government

Poilievre won reelection in the 2006 Canadian federal election with over 50% of the vote. The Conservative Party formed a minority government. Entering the
39th Canadian Parliament The 39th Canadian Parliament was in session from April 3, 2006 until September 7, 2008. The membership was set by the 2006 federal election on January 23, 2006, and it changed only somewhat due to resignations and by-elections. The Parliament w ...
at the age of 26, he still remained the youngest MP in the House of Commons. Prime Minister
Stephen Harper Stephen Joseph Harper (born April 30, 1959) is a Canadian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Canada from 2006 to 2015. Harper is the first and only prime minister to come from the modern-day Conservative Party of Canada, ...
appointed Poilievre to act as Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the Treasury Board, who was his fellow Nepean-area Conservative MP John Baird. Poilievre's parliamentary work included overseeing the drafting and adoption of the ''
Federal Accountability Act The Federal Accountability Act (full title: "An Act providing for conflict of interest rules, restrictions on election financing and measures respecting administrative transparency, oversight and accountability") (the Act) is a statute introduce ...
''. Addressing the prime minister's apology on behalf of the Canadian government for the
Canadian Indian residential school system In Canada, the Indian residential school system was a network of boarding schools for Indigenous peoples. The network was funded by the Canadian government's Department of Indian Affairs and administered by Christian churches. The school sy ...
, Poilievre made remarks to CFRA News Talk Radio regarding the financial compensation and the residential school survivors, for which he would later apologize. He stated he did not think Canada was "getting value for all this money", instead "we need to engender the values of hard work and independence and self-reliance." Poilievre apologized in Parliament the next day, saying, "Mr. Speaker, I rise today to offer a full apology to aboriginal people, to the House and to all Canadians. Yesterday, on a day when the House and all Canadians were celebrating a new beginning, I made remarks that were hurtful and wrong. I accept responsibility for them, and I apologize." In the
2008 Canadian federal election The 2008 Canadian federal election was held on October 14, 2008, to elect members to the House of Commons of Canada of the 40th Canadian Parliament after the 39th Canadian Parliament, previous parliament had been dissolved by Governor General of ...
, Poilievre, now a
Barrhaven Barrhaven is a suburb of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is located about southwest of the city's downtown core. Prior to amalgamation with Ottawa in 2001, Barrhaven was part of the City of Nepean. Its population as of the Canada 2021 Census was 103, ...
resident, was again re-elected with over 50% of the vote in his Nepean–Carleton riding with his party forming another minority government. For the
40th Canadian Parliament The 40th Canadian Parliament was in session from November 18, 2008 to March 26, 2011. It was the last Parliament of the longest-running minority government in Canadian history that began with the previous Parliament. The membership of its House ...
, Prime Minister Stephen Harper appointed Poilievre as Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister. After the prime minister decided Canada would boycott the
Durban Review Conference The Durban Review Conference is the official name of the 2009 United Nations World Conference Against Racism (WCAR), also known as Durban II. The conference ran from Monday 20 April to Friday 24 April 2009, and took place at the United Nations Of ...
due to concerns of anti-Semitic rhetoric, Poilievre and Liberal Party MP
Irwin Cotler Irwin Cotler, PC, OC, OQ (born May 8, 1940) is a retired Canadian politician who was Member of Parliament for Mount Royal from 1999 to 2015. He served as the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada from 2003 until the Liberal gov ...
were sent to
Geneva, Switzerland Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...
, to attend the alternative Conference Against Racism, Discrimination, and Persecution. Poilievre went on to
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
for the
March of the Living The March of the Living ( he, מצעד החיים, ) is an annual educational program which brings students from around the world to Poland, where they explore the remnants of the Holocaust. On Holocaust Memorial Day observed in the Jewish cale ...
. He was assigned to be a member of the Special Panel on Employment Insurance tasked by Harper and Liberal Party leader
Michael Ignatieff Michael Grant Ignatieff (; born May 12, 1947) is a Canadian author, academic and former politician who served as the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and Leader of the Official Opposition from 2008 until 2011. Known for his work as a histo ...
to address resulting impacts of
2008 financial crisis 8 (eight) is the natural number following 7 and preceding 9. In mathematics 8 is: * a composite number, its proper divisors being , , and . It is twice 4 or four times 2. * a power of two, being 2 (two cubed), and is the first number of t ...
with compromise that would avoid election. He was also assigned to the Information, Privacy and Ethics Committee where he expressed concern over camera surveillance, like
Google Street View Google Street View is a technology featured in Google Maps and Google Earth that provides interactive panoramas from positions along many streets in the world. It was launched in 2007 in several cities in the United States, and has since expa ...
, and called for CEO of Google
Eric Schmidt Eric Emerson Schmidt (born April 27, 1955) is an American businessman and software engineer known for being the CEO of Google from 2001 to 2011, executive chairman of Google from 2011 to 2015, executive chairman of Alphabet Inc. from 2015 to 20 ...
to testify. Poilievre became referred to as the Conservative Party's "attack dog". Following the
2009 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election The 2009 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election was prompted by Stéphane Dion's announcement that he would not lead the Liberal Party of Canada into another election, following his party's defeat in the 2008 Canadian federal election, 2008 ...
he sent a letter to the
Commissioner of Canada Elections The Commissioner of Canada Elections (french: Commissaire aux élections fédérales) is responsible for enforcing the Canada Elections Act, the primary electoral law in Canada, and the regulation of canadian federal elections and referendums ...
alleging contraventions of federal regulations concerning fundraising. In 2010, a police probe was triggered after Poilievre drove through a Parliament Hill screening gate without waiting for the RCMP to permit his entry and open the gate. Instead, he pressed the entrance button himself and drove his vehicle through. After Poilievre was identified as the driver and the incident was reported on in the media, he apologized. As in 2006 and 2008, Poilievre won re-election in Nepean–Carleton with over 50% of the vote. For this
41st Canadian Parliament The 41st Canadian Parliament was in session from June 2, 2011 to August 2, 2015, with the membership of its House of Commons having been determined by the results of the 2011 federal election held on May 2, 2011. Parliament convened on June 2, 2 ...
, the Conservative Party formed a
majority government A majority government is a government by one or more governing parties that hold an absolute majority of seats in a legislature. This is as opposed to a minority government, where the largest party in a legislature only has a plurality of seats. ...
and Prime Minister Harper appointed him as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities (
Denis Lebel Denis Lebel (born May 26, 1954) is a Canadian politician and who served as mayor of Roberval, Quebec and deputy leader of the Official Opposition. Lebel was born in Roberval, Quebec. Political career Lebel was elected to the House of Commons ...
) and for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) — assisting
Gary Goodyear Gary T. Goodyear (born March 10, 1958 in Cambridge, Ontario) is a Canadian politician. He was a member of the House of Commons of Canada from 2004 to 2015, having been elected to represent the riding of Cambridge as a Conservative in 2004. On ...
and Steven Fletcher. In early September 2012, while serving on the FedDev Ontario, Poilievre echoed then-Ontario MPP
Randy Hillier Randy Alexander Hillier (born 1958) is a Canadian politician who served as a Member of Provincial Parliament (Canada), member of provincial parliament (MPP) in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 2007-2022. Hillier represented the riding ...
's calls for ending workers' mandatory union payments. When asked in 2012 if his advocacy was akin to
right-to-work law In the context of labor law in the United States, the term "right-to-work laws" refers to state laws that prohibit union security agreements between employers and labor unions which require employees who are not union members to contribute to ...
s implemented in some parts of the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, Poilievre described it as an "enhancement of workers rights and freedoms". Hillier had developed his arguments for the right-to-work in his June 2012 White Paper for the province of Ontario, "Paths to Prosperity: Flexible Labour Markets" . In early 2013, both Poilievre, at the federal level, and Hillier, at the provincial level, had called for greater transparency regarding union finances by citing the way in which the National Capital Region branch of the
Public Service Alliance of Canada The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC; french: Alliance de la Fonction publique du Canada, link=no, AFPC) is one of Canada's largest national labour unions and the largest union in the Canadian federal public sector. PSAC members work in e ...
had supported the
Parti Québécois The Parti Québécois (; ; PQ) is a sovereignist and social democratic provincial political party in Quebec, Canada. The PQ advocates national sovereignty for Quebec involving independence of the province of Quebec from Canada and establishin ...
in the 2012 provincial elections, and unions had supported the student protests using union funds. Poilievre, wrote forcefully against the application of the 1946
Rand formula In Canadian labour law, the Rand formula (also referred to as ''automatic check-off'' and ''compulsory checkoff'') is a workplace compromise arising from jurisprudence struck between organized labour (trade unions) and employers that guarantees empl ...
used in
Canadian labour law Canadian labour law is that body of law which regulates the rights, restrictions, and obligations of trade unions, workers, and employers in Canada. Regulatory framework The federal, provincial, and territorial governments all regulate labour and ...
, which stems from a Supreme Court ruling that allows unions to collect mandatory dues from workers in exchange for the union's support for worker grievances. The formula was crafted in response to the 99-day Windsor Ford Strike by returned
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
veterans and other workers led by the United Automobile Workers of Canada (UAW) at the
Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobi ...
facilities in
Windsor, Ontario Windsor is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, on the south bank of the Detroit River directly across from Detroit, Michigan, United States. Geographically located within but administratively independent of Essex County, it is the souther ...
. Poilievre's offensive against the mandatory paying of union dues by federal public servants, was relatively short-lived. Thousands of public servants who were union members, were in his riding. To union supporters, Polievre's call to end the mandatory union fees raised concerns that cutting off revenue to unions would weaken unions. Some called the right-to-work argument, the right-to-work-for-less.
Russ Hiebert Russel "Russ" Hiebert (born February 8, 1969) is a Canadian lawyer, politician and businessman. He was the Member of Parliament in the House of Commons of Canada for South Surrey—White Rock—Cloverdale from 2004 to 2015. He was born in Stei ...
's private member's bill, C-377, ''An Act to Amend the Income Tax Act'' (labour organizations), passed into law in June 2015, making union fees optional; Note: the measure would be repealed during the subsequent
42nd Canadian Parliament The 42nd Canadian Parliament was in session from December 3, 2015, to September 11, 2019, with the membership of its lower chamber, the House of Commons of Canada, having been determined by the results of the 2015 federal election held on Octob ...
.''
it was one of the last pieces of legislation before the end of Harper's premiership. By December 2015, the bill was no longer in force and it was finally repealed in June 2017.


Cabinet minister (2013–2015)


Minister of State for Democratic Reform

Harper shuffled his
cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filing ...
, adding several new members, including Poilievre to replace
Tim Uppal Tim Uppal (born November 14, 1974) is a Canadian politician, banker, and radio host who is the member for Edmonton Mill Woods in the Parliament of Canada. He served as the Conservative Member of Parliament for Edmonton—Sherwood Park from 2008 ...
as minister of state for democratic reform. With the
2011 Canadian federal election voter suppression scandal The 2011 Canadian federal election voter suppression scandal (also known as the Robocall scandal, Robogate, or RoboCon) is a political scandal stemming from events during the 2011 Canadian federal election. It involved robocalls and real-perso ...
concluding, the
Canadian Senate expenses scandal The Canadian Senate expenses scandal, also known as Duffygate, was a political scandal concerning the expense claims of certain Canadians, Canadian senators which began in late 2012. Senators Patrick Brazeau, Mike Duffy, Mac Harb, and Pamela Wallin ...
enfolding, and the ''Senate Reform Act'' (to allow each province to recommend senate candidates and impose a maximum 9-year term limit) paused at second reading to hear from the
Supreme Court of Canada The Supreme Court of Canada (SCC; french: Cour suprême du Canada, CSC) is the Supreme court, highest court in the Court system of Canada, judicial system of Canada. It comprises List of Justices of the Supreme Court of Canada, nine justices, wh ...
as to its
constitutionality Constitutionality is said to be the condition of acting in accordance with an applicable constitution; "Webster On Line" the status of a law, a procedure, or an act's accordance with the laws or set forth in the applicable constitution. When l ...
, this position was seen by the media as being one of toughest in the cabinet and consequential to the Conservative Party. After the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the ''Senate Reform Act'' would require substantial provincial consent, and Harper ruled out the use of a national referendum, reform efforts were abandoned. After
Justin Trudeau Justin Pierre James Trudeau ( , ; born December 25, 1971) is a Canadian politician who is the 23rd and current prime minister of Canada. He has served as the prime minister of Canada since 2015 and as the leader of the Liberal Party since 2 ...
, leader of the Liberal Party which controlled the second most senate seats, began unilaterally implementing his senate reform plan of making senators independent with a non-partisan appointment process, Poilievre dismissed the measures maintaining senators should be elected. On February 4, 2014, as Minister of State, Poilievre introduced Bill C-23, known as the ''
Fair Elections Act The ''Fair Elections Act'' was a statute enacted by the Conservative government in the 41st Canadian Parliament. It was introduced on February 4, 2014, by Minister of Democratic Reform Pierre Poilievre, was sent to the Senate with amendments on ...
'', into the House of Commons. Among other provisions, the bill expanded the types of identification which were accepted in order to vote, and eliminated the vouching system, whereby a voter can vote without an ID and have an acquaintance 'vouch' for them. The bill was opposed by former-chief electoral officer
Jean-Pierre Kingsley Jean-Pierre Kingsley (born July 12, 1943) is a Canadian civil servant and businessman who served as the president and CEO of the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES). He was the chief electoral officer of Elections Canada befor ...
, former-auditor general
Sheila Fraser Sheila Fraser (born September 16, 1950) served as Auditor General of Canada from 2001 to 2011. Early life and education Fraser was born in Dundee, Quebec, Canada to Kenneth Fraser (1917-2005), a Quebec Member of the National Assembly for Hunting ...
, and dozens of Canadian and international political experts — Poilievre stepped up his attacks on
Marc Mayrand Marc Mayrand is a Canadian public servant who served as the sixth chief electoral officer of Canada from 2007 to 2016, where he oversaw Elections Canada. Career Mayrand studied law at the University of Ottawa and the London School of Economics ...
, the chief electoral officer of
Elections Canada Elections Canada (french: Élections Canada)The agency operates and brands itself as Elections Canada, its legal title is Office of the Chief Electoral Officer (). is the non-partisan agency responsible for administering Canadian federal electio ...
at the time, by accusing him of wanting "more power, a bigger budget and less accountability." The bill was passed and received royal assent. Also as minister of state, Poilievre introduced Bill C-50, known as the ''Citizen Voting Act'', into the House of Commons in December 2014. The bill was the government's response to a Ontario Superior Court's ruling, which would be appealed to the
Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
as ''
Frank v Canada (AG) Frank v Canada (AG) 2019 SCC 1 is a case decided by the Supreme Court of Canada regarding the voting rights of expatriate Canadians. The majority in the 5–2 decision struck down a passage in the Canada Elections Act which had limited the right ...
'', which had determined the
disfranchisement Disfranchisement, also called disenfranchisement, or voter disqualification is the restriction of suffrage (the right to vote) of a person or group of people, or a practice that has the effect of preventing a person exercising the right to vote. D ...
of
expatriate An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country. In common usage, the term often refers to educated professionals, skilled workers, or artists taking positions outside their home country, either ...
s who have lived abroad for more than five years was unconstitutional. Bill C-50 instead proposed to insert additional documentation requirements for expatriates to be able to vote. However, it was not adopted before the end of the Parliament in August 2015.


Minister of Employment and Social Development

In a small cabinet shuffle, instigated by the decision of Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird to not seek re-election, the prime minister promoted Poilievre, on February 9, 2015, to a ministerial position. He replaced
Jason Kenney Jason Thomas Kenney (born May 30, 1968) is a Canadian former politician who served as the 18th premier of Alberta from 2019 until 2022 and the leader of the United Conservative Party (UCP) from 2017 until 2022. He also served as the member of ...
as
minister of employment and social development The Minister of Employment and Social Development was a position in the Canadian government from 2013 to 2015. Its responsibilities are now split between: * the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, and * the Minis ...
and took on Baird's role as minister responsible for the
National Capital Commission The National Capital Commission (NCC; french: Commission de la capitale nationale, CCN) is the Crown corporation responsible for development, urban planning, and conservation in Canada's Capital Region (Ottawa, Ontario and Gatineau, Quebec), i ...
while keeping his duties as the minister responsible for democratic reform. Also at that time, the National Capital Commission was pursuing the development of the
Memorial to the Victims of Communism – Canada, a Land of Refuge The Memorial to the Victims of Communism – ''Canada, a Land of Refuge'' is a controversial monument that is currently under construction in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It was originally to be erected on a site between the Supreme Court of Canada ...
and trying to decide where to locate it; Poilievre advocated for the site adjacent to the Supreme Court of Canada building. In July 2015, Poilievre announced an expansion of a child care benefit program. During the announcement, he wore a Conservative Party of Canada shirt, stated that the payments were from "our Conservative government," and said that "if the Liberals and NDP were to take office they would take the benefits away and raise taxes." Later in 2017, the elections commissioner determined that the occasion was akin to a Conservative party campaign event, rather than a Government of Canada announcement. As the government spent approximately $4,800 related to the event, it was essentially "a de facto non-monetary contribution" to the Conservative party. The commissioner ruled that this was a campaign finance violation, as Poilievre had "knowingly circumvent dthe prohibition on contributions to a registered party by ineligible contributors." Poilievre was ordered to post a link to the ruling on his social media.


Opposition MP and shadow minister (2015–2022)

Locally,
Nepean Nepean may refer to: Places Australia *Nepean Bay, a bay in South Australia, **Nepean Bay Conservation Park, a protected area in South Australia, **Nepean Bay, South Australia, a locality *Nepean Highway, Victoria *Nepean Island (Norfolk Island) ...
was carved out of his riding in the
2012 Canadian federal electoral redistribution The federal electoral redistribution of 2012 was a redistribution of electoral districts ("ridings") in Canada following the results of the 2011 Canadian census. As a result of amendments to the Constitution Act, 1867, the number of seats in the ...
, so Poilievre moved from
Barrhaven Barrhaven is a suburb of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is located about southwest of the city's downtown core. Prior to amalgamation with Ottawa in 2001, Barrhaven was part of the City of Nepean. Its population as of the Canada 2021 Census was 103, ...
to Greely to seek election in the more rural Carleton riding. Poilievre narrowly won the seat with 46% of the vote but the Conservative Party would only win enough seats to form the
Official Opposition Parliamentary opposition is a form of political opposition to a designated government, particularly in a Westminster-based parliamentary system. This article uses the term ''government'' as it is used in Parliamentary systems, i.e. meaning ''th ...
to a Liberal Party majority government. Following Harper's resignation, interim party leader
Rona Ambrose Ronalee Ambrose Veitch ( , née Chapchuk; born March 15, 1969) is a Canadian former politician who was interim leader of the Conservative Party and the leader of the Opposition between 2015 and 2017. She was the Conservative Party member of ...
made Poilievre the Conservative Party critic on issues relating to the
Treasury Board The Treasury Board of Canada (french: Conseil du Trésor du Canada) is the Cabinet committee of the Privy Council of Canada which oversees the spending and operation of the Government of Canada and is the principal employer of the core public se ...
until October 2016 when she moved him to critic on issues relating to Employment, Labour and Work Opportunity. In August 2017, new party leader
Andrew Scheer Andrew James Scheer (born May 20, 1979) is a Canadian politician who has served as the member of Parliament (MP) for Regina—Qu'Appelle since 2004. Scheer served as the 35th speaker of the House of Commons from 2011 to 2015, and was the lead ...
selected Poilievre to be critic of the
Minister of Finance A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", " ...
, with
Tom Kmiec Tomasz Kmiec (kuh-MICH; born July 31, 1981) is a Polish-Canadian politician who serves the Member of Parliament for Calgary Shepard in the House of Commons of Canada. Additionally, he is the Conservative Party of Canada's National Caucus Chair, ...
as deputy critic. In that role Poilievre introduced his third private member's bill (Bill C-395) which sought to amend the Federal–Provincial Arrangements Act in such a way that it would eliminate personal income taxes and payroll taxes that apply to persons with disabilities. Though it gained the support of the
New Democratic Party The New Democratic Party (NDP; french: Nouveau Parti démocratique, NPD) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic: * * * * * * * * * * * * t ...
, the bill was defeated at consider of 2nd Reading with both the Liberal Party and
Bloc Québécois The Bloc Québécois (BQ; , "Québécois people, Quebecer Voting bloc, Bloc") is a list of federal political parties in Canada, federal political party in Canada devoted to Quebec nationalism and the promotion of Quebec sovereignty movement, Que ...
/ Québec debout voting against. During this parliament, Poilievre travelled to
Dieppe Dieppe (; Norman: ''Dgieppe'') is a coastal commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. Dieppe is a seaport on the English Channel at the mouth of the river Arques. A regular ferry service runs to Newha ...
as part of a Canadian delegation to commemorate the 75th anniversary ceremonies of the
Dieppe Raid Operation Jubilee or the Dieppe Raid (19 August 1942) was an Allied amphibious attack on the German-occupied port of Dieppe in northern France, during the Second World War. Over 6,050 infantry, predominantly Canadian, supported by a regiment o ...
. In the lead-up to the next election, Poilievre used all the House of Commons time allotted for debating the
2019 Canadian federal budget The Canadian federal budget for fiscal year 2019–2020 was presented to the House of Commons by Finance Minister Bill Morneau on March 19, 2019. This was the last budget before the 2019 federal election. The deficit is projected to rise to $19.8 ...
to deliver one 4-day long speech to promote the
SNC-Lavalin affair The SNC-Lavalin affair () was a political scandal involving attempted political interference with the justice system by the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, and the Prime Minister's Office (PMO). The Parliament of Canada's Ethics ...
. Poilievre was again re-elected in
2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
, this time by a wider margin of the vote compared to his 2015 victory. After Scheer's resignation as party leader, Poilievre was initially considered to be one of the front-runners to win the subsequent leadership election. Poilievre considered a bid and started to assemble a campaign team, though he announced he would not run on January 23, 2020, citing his desire to spend more time with his family. During the
WE Charity scandal The WE Charity scandal was a Canadian political scandal regarding the awarding of a federal contract to WE Charity to administer the $912 million Canada Student Summer Grant program (CSSG) in 2020. The controversy arose when it was revealed tha ...
surrounding the Liberal Party, Poilievre was one of the Conservative Party's primary interrogators. Poilievre repeatedly questioned Prime Minister Trudeau in a virtual conference in July, asking for the exact dollar figure that his family was paid by the WE Charity. Trudeau responded that he did not know the number on hand. In August, Poilievre revealed to journalists WE Charity memos that had been blacked-out by the Liberal government, tossing each of them aside. After having pressured
Finance Minister A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", " ...
Bill Morneau William Francis Morneau Jr. (born October 7, 1962) is a Canadian businessman and former Liberal Party politician who served as minister of finance and member of Parliament (MP) for Toronto Centre from 2015 to 2020. Morneau was executive chair ...
to resign for his involvement in the scandal, Morneau announced his resignation on August 17. Scheer's successor,
Erin O'Toole Erin Michael O'Toole (born January 22, 1973) is a Canadian politician who has been the member of Parliament (MP) for Durham since 2012. A member of the Conservative Party, O'Toole served as the party's leader and the leader of the Official ...
, kept Poilievre as finance critic until February 10, 2021, when he was replaced with
Ed Fast Edward D. Fast (born June 18, 1955) is a Canadian politician who has served as the member of Parliament (MP) for Abbotsford since 2006. A member of the Conservative Party of Canada, he was Minister for International Trade and Minister for the A ...
. Poilievre then became critic for jobs and industry, though he only held this position for a short time as he regained his old position as finance critic on November 9, 2021. Poilievre won re-election in Carleton in the 2021 federal election.


2022 leadership campaign

After O'Toole was ousted as leader through a
leadership review In Canadian politics, a leadership review is a vote held at a political party convention in which delegates decide whether to endorse the incumbent party leader or schedule a leadership convention to elect a new leader. In most parties at present, ...
on February 2, 2022, there was speculation of Poilievre entering the leadership election to succeed him. On February 5, 2022, Poilievre implicitly declared his intention to run in the leadership election, stating "I'm running for Prime Minister". Political commentators and journalists described Poilievre as the
frontrunner FrontRunner is a commuter rail train operated by the Utah Transit Authority that operates along the Wasatch Front in north-central Utah with service from the Ogden Intermodal Transit Center in central Weber County through Davis County, Salt L ...
in the leadership race. Poilievre's campaign was described as being centred on freedom and reducing the
cost of living Cost of living is the cost of maintaining a certain standard of living. Changes in the cost of living over time can be operationalized in a cost-of-living index. Cost of living calculations are also used to compare the cost of maintaining a c ...
. He stated his desire to make Canada the "freest country in the world". Poilievre had been critical of fellow leadership candidates
Jean Charest John James "Jean" Charest (; born June 24, 1958) is a Canadian lawyer and former politician who served as the 29th premier of Quebec from 2003 to 2012 and the fifth deputy prime minister of Canada in 1993. Charest was elected to the House of ...
and Patrick Brown, who were seen to be part of the moderate faction of the Conservative Party; Poilievre accused Charest of being a
Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...
and stated that Brown's support for a
carbon tax A carbon tax is a tax levied on the carbon emissions required to produce goods and services. Carbon taxes are intended to make visible the "hidden" social costs of carbon emissions, which are otherwise felt only in indirect ways like more sev ...
is "disqualifying". From the end of June to early July, Poilievre's campaign aired attack ads on Brown in local Toronto television stations, criticizing his policies as
mayor of Brampton The mayor of Brampton is head of the executive branch of the Brampton City Council. The current mayor is Patrick Brown (politician), Patrick Brown. The following is a list of mayors of Brampton: List # John Haggert, 1874–February 1877 # Ja ...
. On June 4, Poilievre's campaign announced they sold 311,958 out of the 678,708 total memberships during the leadership race. Poilievre had been endorsed for the leadership by 62 Conservative MPs, more than half of the party's then 119-member caucus in the House of Commons. On July 25, Poilievre received an endorsement from former Prime Minister
Stephen Harper Stephen Joseph Harper (born April 30, 1959) is a Canadian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Canada from 2006 to 2015. Harper is the first and only prime minister to come from the modern-day Conservative Party of Canada, ...
. On August 2, Poilievre's campaign announced they fundraised $4,042,717 through 36,804 individual donors in the second quarter of the leadership race; this amount was more than half of the $7,538,549 fundraised by the six candidates combined. On September 10, Poilievre won the leadership on the first ballot, with 68.15% of points and 70.7% of the vote share. It was the first first-ballot victory since the party's 2004 leadership election. Poilievre also won 330 out of 338
electoral districts An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other polity ...
.


Opposition leader (2022–present)

On September 12, Poilievre gave his first speech to his caucus as leader. The following day on September 13, Poilievre unveiled his House of Commons leadership team with nine members, including deputy leaders
Melissa Lantsman Melissa Lantsman is a Canadian politician and public relations executive who serves as the Member of Parliament (Canada), Member of Parliament for Thornhill (electoral district), Thornhill in the House of Commons of Canada. A member of the Conse ...
and
Tim Uppal Tim Uppal (born November 14, 1974) is a Canadian politician, banker, and radio host who is the member for Edmonton Mill Woods in the Parliament of Canada. He served as the Conservative Member of Parliament for Edmonton—Sherwood Park from 2008 ...
. On October 12, Poilievre unveiled a 71-member shadow cabinet, including former leadership rivals
Leslyn Lewis Leslyn Lewis (born December 2, 1970) is a Canadian lawyer and politician who has served as the member of Parliament (MP) for Haldimand—Norfolk since 2021. A member of the Conservative Party, Lewis contested the party leadership in the 2020 ...
and
Scott Aitchison Scott Aitchison (born January 14, 1973) is a Canadian politician who was elected to represent the riding of Parry Sound—Muskoka in the House of Commons of Canada in the 2019 Canadian federal election. Prior to his election, he served as may ...
. On October 6, it was reported that between 2018 and 2022, Poilievre's team-managed YouTube channel posted hundreds of videos with a hidden tag labeled " MGTOW", referencing the misogynistic online community. Poilievre condemned MGTOW, said he was unaware of the tags, and had his team immediately remove the tags.


Political positions

Poilievre has described himself as a " true conservative", while some journalists have also described him as
libertarian Libertarianism (from french: libertaire, "libertarian"; from la, libertas, "freedom") is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state's e ...
and
populist Populism refers to a range of political stances that emphasize the idea of "the people" and often juxtapose this group against " the elite". It is frequently associated with anti-establishment and anti-political sentiment. The term developed ...
. However, many journalists have also dismissed the populist label due to Poilievre's pro-choice, pro-immigration, and pro-same-sex-marriage positions.


Economic policy

Poilievre argues that large budget deficits are the reason for
inflation In economics, inflation is an increase in the general price level of goods and services in an economy. When the general price level rises, each unit of currency buys fewer goods and services; consequently, inflation corresponds to a reductio ...
. Poilievre proposes implementing a pay-as-you-go law, requiring the government to offset any new spending with a cut elsewhere. Poilievre supports normalizing
cryptocurrencies A cryptocurrency, crypto-currency, or crypto is a digital currency designed to work as a medium of exchange through a computer network that is not reliant on any central authority, such as a government or bank A bank is a financial i ...
including
Bitcoin Bitcoin ( abbreviation: BTC; sign: ₿) is a decentralized digital currency that can be transferred on the peer-to-peer bitcoin network. Bitcoin transactions are verified by network nodes through cryptography and recorded in a public distr ...
, which he believes is an
inflation hedge An inflation hedge is an investment intended to protect the investor against (hedge) a decrease in the purchasing power of money (inflation). There is no investment known to be a successful hedge in all inflationary environments, just as there is no ...
. He stated he wants to make Canada the "blockchain capital of the world" and believes the federal government is "ruining" the
Canadian dollar The Canadian dollar ( symbol: $; code: CAD; french: dollar canadien) is the currency of Canada. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, there is no standard disambiguating form, but the abbreviation Can$ is often suggested by notable style ...
. Poilievre has criticized the
Bank of Canada The Bank of Canada (BoC; french: Banque du Canada) is a Crown corporation and Canada's central bank. Chartered in 1934 under the ''Bank of Canada Act'', it is responsible for formulating Canada's monetary policy,OECD. OECD Economic Surveys: Ca ...
, accusing it of being "financially illiterate" for forecasting that there would be
deflation In economics, deflation is a decrease in the general price level of goods and services. Deflation occurs when the inflation rate falls below 0% (a negative inflation rate). Inflation reduces the value of currency over time, but sudden deflation ...
as opposed to
inflation In economics, inflation is an increase in the general price level of goods and services in an economy. When the general price level rises, each unit of currency buys fewer goods and services; consequently, inflation corresponds to a reductio ...
, to which the bank's deputy governor
Paul Beaudry Paul Beaudry (born 1960) is Professor and Canada Research Chair in the UBC Department of Economics at the University of British Columbia. His main fields of research are macroeconomics, the economics of technical change and labour economics. He is a ...
responded by stating: "The aspect that we should be held accountable is exactly right." Poilievre has said that the bank's
governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
,
Tiff Macklem Richard Tiffany Macklem (born June 4, 1961), known as Tiff Macklem, is a Canadian banker and economist who serves as the 10th and current governor of the Bank of Canada. He was also the former dean of the Rotman School of Management and had pre ...
, is Liberal Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau Justin Pierre James Trudeau ( , ; born December 25, 1971) is a Canadian politician who is the 23rd and current prime minister of Canada. He has served as the prime minister of Canada since 2015 and as the leader of the Liberal Party since 2 ...
's "personal ATM" in terms of printing money to fund deficit spending for the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
. Poilievre stated that a government led by him would dismiss Macklem, audit the bank, and ban the bank's potential
digital currency Digital currency (digital money, electronic money or electronic currency) is any currency, money, or money-like asset that is primarily managed, stored or exchanged on digital computer systems, especially over the internet. Types of digital cu ...
. Poilievre supports defunding the
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...
(CBC), saying the government could save a billion dollars by doing so. He proposes to convert the CBC's headquarters into affordable housing and other federal buildings into condominium housing.


Housing and infrastructure

Poilievre blames bureaucracy for a lack of new housing, and proposes requiring "severely unaffordable" cities to increase their amount of new homes built by 15 percent, in order to continue receiving federal infrastructure money. He also proposes compensating other cities for building extra housing. Poilievre also plans to sell off 15 percent of the government's 37,000 buildings he considers to be under-utilized, so that they can be converted into affordable housing instead. Poilievre stated that a government led by him would permit a runway expansion at
Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport is a regional airport located on the Toronto Islands in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is often referred to as Toronto Island Airport and was previously known as ''Port George VI Island Airport'' and ''Toronto ...
, allowing jets to fly in and out of the airport. Poilievre cited increased competition in the aviation industry and travellers being provided with an alternative to Toronto's Pearson International Airport which had dealt with congestion and flight delays surpassing 50% around the month of July 2022.


Environment and energy

Poilievre is in favour of addressing
climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...
by using
green technology Environmental technology (envirotech) or green technology (greentech), also known as ''clean technology'' (''cleantech''), is the application of one or more of environmental science, green chemistry, environmental monitoring and electronic device ...
and placing targets to reduce carbon-related emissions, opposed to using taxes. One of the technologies he plans to incentivize is
carbon capture and storage Carbon capture and storage (CCS) or carbon capture and sequestration is the process of capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) before it enters the atmosphere, transporting it, and storing it (carbon sequestration) for centuries or millennia. Usually th ...
. Poilievre also plans to increase the production of
electric cars An electric car, battery electric car, or all-electric car is an automobile that is propelled by one or more electric motors, using only energy stored in batteries. Compared to internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, electric cars are quie ...
by greenlighting more mining of
lithium Lithium (from el, λίθος, lithos, lit=stone) is a chemical element with the symbol Li and atomic number 3. It is a soft, silvery-white alkali metal. Under standard conditions, it is the least dense metal and the least dense solid el ...
,
cobalt Cobalt is a chemical element with the symbol Co and atomic number 27. As with nickel, cobalt is found in the Earth's crust only in a chemically combined form, save for small deposits found in alloys of natural meteoric iron. The free element, pr ...
and
copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...
required to produce the cars and batteries. Poilievre believes Canadian energy is cleaner than that of other countries, and proposes a ban on importing foreign oil and a review of all pipeline projects cancelled by the current government. Poilievre pledges to repeal the
Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...
government's
carbon tax A carbon tax is a tax levied on the carbon emissions required to produce goods and services. Carbon taxes are intended to make visible the "hidden" social costs of carbon emissions, which are otherwise felt only in indirect ways like more sev ...
if the Conservatives form government under him. Poilievre also favours repealing two bills that he describes as "anti-energy": Bill C-48 (a law prohibiting oil tankers of a certain size from docking along the north coast of
British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
) and Bill C-69 (a law assessing Canada's environment).


Foreign policy

During the spring and summer of 2020, Poilievre was critical of what he perceived as the Trudeau government's misplaced trust in the
Communist Party of China The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victorious in the Chinese Civil ...
, who cancelled the CanSino vaccine contract with Canada. Poilievre insisted that Canada should create its own vaccines supply, and make purchase agreements with more trustworthy governments. In response to the
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...
, Poilievre stated that a government led by him would support
Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
by bringing in more Ukrainian refugees, providing more weapons to aid to Ukraine, and by supplying Europe with Canada's energy and oil to help reduce Europe's dependency on energy from
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
. Poilievre disagrees with putting a
no-fly zone A no-fly zone, also known as a no-flight zone (NFZ), or air exclusion zone (AEZ), is a territory or area established by a military power over which certain aircraft are not permitted to fly. Such zones are usually set up in an enemy power's te ...
on Ukraine because he does not want to escalate Canada going to war. Poilievre said that a government led by him would ban his
Cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filing ...
ministers from participating in the
World Economic Forum The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental and lobbying organisation based in Cologny, canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German engineer and economist Klaus Schwab. The foundation, ...
(WEF), stating that the forum "is against the interests of our people".


Social issues

Poilievre supports
abortion rights Abortion-rights movements, also referred to as pro-choice movements, advocate for the right to have legal access to induced abortion services including elective abortion. They seek to represent and support women who wish to terminate their pre ...
. He stated that government led by him would not introduce and would not pass any legislation restricting access to abortion, though he would allow his caucus to have
free vote A conscience vote or free vote is a type of vote in a legislative body where legislators are allowed to vote according to their own personal conscience rather than according to an official line set down by their political party. In a parliamenta ...
s on legislation. In 2010, however, he supported a bill that would have criminalized pressuring a person to get an abortion and a motion where Parliament would have studied when a fetus should be considered a human. In 2020, he changed his position and said that a government led by him would never introduce a bill on the topic and no private ones would be adopted. In 2021, Poilievre opposed a private member bill prohibiting
sex-selective abortion Sex-selective abortion is the practice of terminating a pregnancy based upon the predicted sex of the infant. The selective abortion of female fetuses is most common where male children are valued over female children, especially in parts of Eas ...
. Poilievre supports
same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same Legal sex and gender, sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being ...
; in a 2020 interview, he called it a "success" and stated "I voted against it 15 years ago. But I learned a lot". In 2005, he gave a speech opposing same-sex marriage while favouring
civil union A civil union (also known as a civil partnership) is a legally recognized arrangement similar to marriage, created primarily as a means to provide recognition in law for same-sex couples. Civil unions grant some or all of the rights of marriage ...
s as an alternative and voted in favour on the motion to introduce legislation to re-instate an opposite-sex only definition of marriage in 2006. He had also requested Finance Minister
Jim Flaherty James Michael Flaherty (December 30, 1949 – April 10, 2014) was a Canadian politician who served as the federal minister of finance from 2006 to 2014 under Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper. First elected to the Legislative Assembly ...
withhold money spent on
sex reassignment surgery Gender-affirming surgery (GAS) is a surgical procedure, or series of procedures, that alters a transgender or transsexual person's physical appearance and sexual characteristics to resemble those associated with their identified gender, and alle ...
from
Canada Health Transfer The Canada Health Transfer (CHT) (french: Transfert canadien en matière de santé) is the Canadian government's transfer payment program in support of the health systems of the provinces and territories of Canada. The program was originally com ...
payments. In 2021, Poilievre voted in favour of banning
conversion therapy Conversion therapy is the pseudoscientific practice of attempting to change an individual's sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression to align with heterosexual and cisgender norms. In contrast to evidence-based medicine and cli ...
in a
free vote A conscience vote or free vote is a type of vote in a legislative body where legislators are allowed to vote according to their own personal conscience rather than according to an official line set down by their political party. In a parliamenta ...
. Poilievre supports maintaining the
legalization Legalization is the process of removing a legal prohibition against something which is currently not legal. Legalization is a process often applied to what are regarded, by those working towards legalization, as victimless crimes, of which one ...
of soft drugs such as
marijuana Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various tra ...
, while he opposes the decriminalization of "hard drugs", stating "We’re not talking about marijuana here we’re talking about highly lethal drugs that can stop a person's heart". He advocated for more treatment and recovery for those suffering from addictions which are "deadly" and that drug dealers should be facing "strong policing & tough sentences". Poilievre stated that he is in favour of
freedom of speech Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The right to freedom of expression has been recogni ...
and seeks to repeal
Bill C-11 Bill C-11 is any of several articles of legislation introduced into the House of Commons of Canada, including: * Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, introduced in 2001 to the first session of the 37th Parliament * Copyright Modernization Act, in ...
and the successor to Bill C-36, describing them as
censorship in Canada In Canada, appeals by the judiciary to community standards and the public interest are the ultimate determinants of which forms of expression may legally be published, broadcast, or otherwise publicly disseminated. Other public organisations with ...
. Poilievre stated a government led by him would scrap direct federal research and other grants to universities if they do not commit to section 2(b) of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which protects freedom of expression. Poilievre also stated he would appoint a 'Free Speech Guardian' (on the condition that they are a former judge) that would ensure compliance to section 2(b), investigate claims of academic censorship, report to the federal government on the universities that refuse to uphold the ''Charter'' right, and recommend cuts to direct federal grants to universities that do not uphold the right. Poilievre announced his support of those in the
Canada convoy protest A series of protests and blockades in Canada against COVID-19 vaccine mandates and restrictions, called the Freedom Convoy (french: Convoi de la liberté, links=no) by organizers, began in early 2022. The initial convoy movement was created t ...
who were protesting peacefully, while denouncing the individuals who were promoting extremism. Poilievre believes that the federal government abused its power by invoking the ''
Emergencies Act The ''Emergencies Act'' (french: Loi sur les mesures d'urgence) is a statute passed by the Parliament of Canada in 1988 which authorizes the Government of Canada to take extraordinary temporary measures to respond to public welfare emergencies, ...
'' during the convoy protests and proposes limiting its power to prevent it from being used similarly in the future.


Immigration

Poilievre describes himself as pro-immigration and seeks to put forward policies aiming to speed up processing times for immigration to reunite families, keep refugees safe, and get jobs filled in Canada. Poilievre stated that a government led by him would negotiate agreements with provinces to license qualified professionals within 60 days of receiving applications, provide study loans to aid new immigrants in passing examinations, and permit immigrants to receive licences before moving to Canada.


Healthcare

Poilievre plans to address healthcare shortages in Canada by ensuring provinces expedite the approval of professional credentials of certified immigrants to increase the number health care providers, such as nurses. In 2022, Poilievre introduced private members bill C-377, ''Prevention of Government-imposed Vaccination Mandates Act,'' which would end federally enforced COVID-19-related vaccine mandates''.'' In October 2022, Poilievre voted in support of a Conservative private member's bill to change the Criminal Code, prohibiting the act of coercing health professionals to euthanize patients in medical assistance in dying, with the aim of upholding "freedom of conscious" in section 2(a) of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The bill was defeated when all Liberal, NDP and Bloc members voted against it.


Firearms

Poilievre opposes re-establishing the long-gun registry, and opposes the May 1, 2020, Order in Council that banned over 1,500 models of firearms. Poilievre believes the solution to gun violence in Canada is stronger policing of gun smuggling, opposed to placing further restrictions on licensed firearms owners and sports shooters.


Personal life

After moving to Ottawa, Poilievre dated Conservative political advisor
Jenni Byrne Jenni Byrne is a political advisor, political commenter, and government relations expert. A member of the Conservative Party of Canada and the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario, she is a former advisor to Prime Minister Stephen Harper a ...
until 2011. In January 2018, Poilievre married
Anaida Galindo Anaida Poilievre (; born 1986 or 1987) is a Canadian political staffer, online magazine publisher, and the wife of Conservative Party of Canada leader Pierre Poilievre. Early life and education Poilievre was born in Caracas, Venezuela to a f ...
, a Senate aide, in a ceremony in Portugal. Their first child, Valentina Alejandra Poilievre Galindo, was born on October 17, 2018. On September 12, 2021, Poilievre welcomed his second child, Cruz Alejandro Poilievre. Poilievre is
bilingual Multilingualism is the use of more than one language, either by an individual speaker or by a group of speakers. It is believed that multilingual speakers outnumber monolingual speakers in the world's population. More than half of all E ...
, speaking fluent English and French.


Electoral history


References


External links


Pierre Poilievre
* , - , - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Poilievre, Pierre 1979 births Living people 21st-century Canadian politicians Canadian adoptees Canadian libertarians Canadian people of Irish descent Conservative Party of Canada MPs Franco-Albertan people Franco-Ontarian people Leaders of the Conservative Party of Canada Leaders of the Opposition (Canada) Members of the 28th Canadian Ministry Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada Politicians from Calgary Politicians from Ottawa