Who is Pierre Poilievre? Canada’s prospective Prime Minister
As Justin Trudeau’s popularity continues to plummet down the toilet just as fast as Canada’s global reputation, one party leader has risen up to challenge nearly a decade of Liberal power.
The man in question, Conservative party leader Pierre Poilievre, has become a controversial figure for many on the progressive left, but most of Canada would have no idea why. In fact, there are many politically unengaged Canadians who likely have no or little idea of who Pierre Poilievre actually is, hence this article.
It’s time to cut through the lies of progressives and show exactly what Poilievre has made clear he’d like to do up to the point of the writing of this article.
This piece is organized into a background on Pierre Poilievre, followed by some of the high-profile controversies he’s faced in his career, before examining his political stances on a variety of topics that are on the minds of the average Canadian.
Pierre Poilievre:
Raised out West in Calgary, Alberta, Poilievre would earn a degree in international relations before finding his political home within the Ottawa region. He is currently serving as a member of parliament, or, as we Canadians call it, an MP, in what is now known as the riding of Carleton, a riding that he won from Liberal party incumbent David Pratt.
While many may be hearing Poilievre’s name for the first time in recent years, he has been a key figure in Canadian politics for quite a while, having previously served under former Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper as the minister for democratic reform for two years before being positioned as the minister of employment and social development.
He would later take on the role of a shadow minister (a title given to opposition party members who are a part of the government in power), also referred to as an opposition critic, specifically as the minister of finance.
It is his lengthy track record in the party, skill navigating political spaces, ability to attack his opponents with clever and impactful language (especially in relation to the Liberal party WE Charity Scandal), and a variety of excellent moments during House of Commons debates skyrocketed him to prominence and made him a key figure that could topple Trudeau’s Liberal regime.
Controversies:
While all of that background may make Poilievre sound impressive, and he is, that does not mean his career has been free of slip-ups.
- In June of 2008, Poilievre apologized for statements he made in relation to Indigenous people in Canada, though he did make his apology the day following his comments, claiming full responsibility, something that can’t often, if ever, be said of the current Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
- Poilievre was again in hot water when it was ruled that his choice of clothing and use of language at a government press conference made the event into a campaign event, and while that may be silly for most people who read something like that, it is worth mentioning.
- There have been other smaller issues, like people taking issue with MGTOW tags used in videos that Poilievre had no knowledge of, people wearing shirts in photos with slogans that Poilievre has said he disagrees with, and even being kicked out of the House of Commons during Question Period for rightly calling Justin Trudeau a wacko.
- An interesting controversy worth pointing out is the fact that both Poilievre and his wife have connections to properties that are rented out to Canadians. Obviously, those against him will claim that this makes him a hypocrite on housing policy, while those who defend him will acknowledge that someone like Poilievre would likely understand the struggles of Canadians and would probably be offering a reasonable rental price in relation to the many land lords who charge absurdly inflated prices.
- Finally, many have taken issue with Poilievre’s handling of media outlets and reporters, though many more Conservatives seem to enjoy his media style.
Political Positions:
The most common words used by journalists and pundits alike to describe Poilievre are libertarian and populist, and a good argument can be made in both cases. This is a collection of positions that can be understood through direct comment or inferred through other statements Poilievre has made over the years.
Foreign Policy:
- In what shouldn’t be a shocker at all, Poilievre has made it clear that he condemns Hamas and supports Israel’s right to defend itself.
- He’s also voiced support for Ukraine, even against certain pieces of legislation proposed by the Liberals, indicating Canada will continue to aid Ukraine and even try to increase independence from Russia through Canadian energy.
- For years at this point, Poilievre has been critical of the Liberal party’s handling of relations with China, from trade deals to election interference, indicating he would take a much firmer approach to relations.
- Something that many Conservatives will enjoy is that Poilievre has voiced support for cutting wasteful foreign aid.
- Perhaps most interestingly, Poilievre has made it clear that he doesn’t want any of his cabinet ministers participating in the World Economic Forum, though an exact explanation of why other than it not being in Canada’s interest in his mind has seemingly not been given.
Social Issues:
Free speech is a big deal to Poilievre.
- Poilievre has made it his mission to repeal bills that have further censored Canadians in the online realm.
- He feels that even dealing with the worst speech is necessary because that is the price of living in a free country.
- He’s also made it clear that any parties acting against the protection of freedom of speech would have funding denied, specifically in the university setting.
- Poilievre was supportive of the controversial Canadian trucking convoy protest in Ottawa while being sure to denounce any kinds of violence or hate, and he also identified Trudeau’s use of the Emergenices Act as an abandonment of law and freedoms.
Issues related to both reproductive health and the LGBTQ+ community are also often top of mind for Canadians.
- Contrary to popular belief amongst far-left progressive Canadian circles, Poilievre is not against abortion.
- Poilievre is in favor of same-sex marriage and even spoke out against a fellow Conservative who has made statements not in favor of it. This should come as no surprise as not only is his father gay, but he has also made gay MPs key members of his team
- Controversial to some and common sense to others, Poilievre has voiced support for a policy from Alberta Premier Danielle Smith that seeks to limit transgender surgeries and interventions.
- It is also clear that Poilievre is not in favor of progressing too quickly in regards to the transgender debate, as he is not in favor of trans women competing in women’s sports.
Environment:
Many are quick to label Conservatives as the type who are against the environment or outright deny things like climate change, and, anecdotally, there are many who claim that Poilievre is just another climate denier, citing the fact that he wants to get rid of the carbon tax.
- People who would label him as that are just plain wrong at best and pernicious liars at worst. Poilievre prefers carbon capture and storage, green technology, and targets in order to address issues of climate change.
- Poilievre has actually been in favor of banning the import of foreign oil in order to put a greater focus on Canadian excellence and clean hydroelectric facilities.
- A lack of thorough details on environmental plans has resulted in condemnation from the Liberal party.
Immigration:
The many who would designate Poilievre as some kind of xenophobe would also be incorrect.
- He has openly stated that he is pro-immigration, though that does not mean he’s interested in endless waves of immigrants.
- Poilievre has made it clear that he will reduce immigration to the country due to the recent massive influx under the Liberal party.
- Among this, Poilievre has also indicated support for aiding provinces in bringing in immigrants and helping them become even more beneficial to the Canadian economy in a shorter amount of time.
- He is also vehemently against illegal immigration, a stance that everyone should take realistically.
Economy:
It should already be obvious that Poilievre’s goal is to reduce the cost of living in Canada, and he has indicated a variety of strategies to reign in the government and curb inflation.
- Poilievre is interested in shifting the government to a pay-as-you-go system, meaning that new spending will have to be supplied through cuts elsewhere, though it is worth noting that this policy has many critics as well.
- In a much more controversial move that has support from Conservatives and criticism from Liberals, Poilievre wants to defund the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, better known as CBC. He seems to believe that cuts could result in clawing back roughly a billion dollars while adding more homes to the country by gutting federal buildings.
- Something that will please all Canadians is that he also seems to be relatively interested in tackling Canada’s obscenely high phone plan costs, indicating that there should be more competitors in the market.
- Another positive is Poilievre’s interest in improving the functionality of another Toronto-based airport, Billy Bishop, in response to Toronto Pearson International Airport’s horrendous service.
- To the delight of crypto-bros, Poilievre is, or at least was, in support of crypto currency, though he was said to have personal investments in crypto back in 2022.
Housing:
Speaking of getting rid of federal buildings in order to build homes, housing might be one of the biggest issues facing Canadians, and luckily, Poilievre is looking to do a lot more for Canadians than Justin Trudeau has over the past decade.
- Listening to him speak about housing for any length of time will make it clear that he feels bureaucracy is getting in the way of building affordable housing, and as a result, he has come up with a deal to offer provinces the chance to continue receiving funding should they open up and increase housing production by 15%.
Only time will tell how Poilievre plans to handle both internal and foreign investment into the housing market in order to further improve affordability and cut down on housing competition that can drive up prices.
Assorted:
Quickly covering some obvious positions:
- Poilievre is in favor of reducing government controls on guns while instead tackling the illegal entry of firearms into Canada, believing that lawful gun owners are not the problem and instead criminals are.
- Clearly not against vaccinations, Poilievre has instead voiced concerns about the measures taken against citizens’ personal freedoms during the lockdown era.
- While seemingly not against the MAID program (Medical Assistance in Dying) entirely, his party has voted to and intends to amend how the process works to some degree.
- Obviously, Poilievre also supports the current healthcare system but also believes that there is a need to deal with the abysmal system that currently exists, indicating he would ensure the system is funded and has the ability to gain new workers more easily.
- Additionally, Poilievre has voiced support for marijuana remaining legal but ensuring that hard drugs are criminalized, something that should be addressed with better treatment for addicts.
Closing:
Pierre Poilievre has been a vocal critic of the Liberal party, as one might expect of the official opposition, but he also strives to make it clear that the NDP are just as much to blame as the Liberals for the current state of Canada. In his eyes, thanks to the agreement between he Liberals and NDPs, the Liberal party is able to continue to to drive up spending while failing to address the concerns of everyday ordinary Canadians.
This very thing may be the reason why the Liberal party recently lost a key by-election in Toronto that saw a Conservative candidate taking control of what was believed to be a Liberal stronghold. This indicates that the Liberals are in for a day of reckoning whenever the next Federal election is called.
The beauty here is that Trudeau is so painfully disliked by his Canadians, and the same is true of anyone who could replace him, that Poilievre essentially has a walk to the finish line.
Does that mean he will take that easy walk instead of a much more rigorous path?
Absolutely not.
If his activity says anything, it’s clear that Poilievre is interested in capitalizing on his momentum, meeting with ordinary Canadians and making it clear that he will be the one to take Canada from a country that people are actively trying to get out of to a country that people can once again lead happy and comfortable lives.
Pierre Poilievre was able to lay out a clear vision for his run as Prime Minister all the way back in 1999 when he was a university student:
“As prime minister, I would relinquish to citizens as much of my social, political, and economic control as possible, leaving people to cultivate their own personal prosperity and to govern their own affairs as directly as possible.”
So who is Pierre Poilievre to me?
Pierre Poilievre is change to something better.
Pierre Poilievre is common sense