Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre auditioning to be Canada’s next prime minister

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Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has been auditioning for the role of prime minister for years. But, after riding high in the polls against Justin Trudeau, he’s heading into this federal election campaign fighting to maintain his advantage.

A career politician — and the youngest MP in Parliament at the time of his first election win — Poilievre has been elected and re-elected to his Ottawa-area riding seven consecutive times.

The 45-year-old was born and raised in Calgary by two schoolteachers who adopted him as an infant.

He became interested in politics as a teenager, before studying international relations at the University of Calgary, there serving as president of the school’s young Conservatives club.

Poilievre went on to work as a staffer for then-Canadian Alliance leader Stockwell Day, before the party merged with the Progressive Conservative Party to form the modern-day Conservative Party of Canada in 2003.

Poilievre then made the move to Ottawa, where he ran in the 2004 election and won his seat in Nepean—Carleton, now Carleton, defeating two-term incumbent and then-Liberal defence minister David Pratt.

When the country went blue following the 2006 general election, Poilievre was appointed parliamentary secretary in then-prime minister Stephen Harper’s government, occupying a range of portfolios until 2013, when he landed a cabinet position.

Throughout this time, Poilievre gained a reputation for being Harper’s attack dog in the House of Commons, for his scrappy disposition and sharp partisan attacks.

While this approach has been heralded by some Conservatives, it’s also got him in trouble a few times, including when he got caught on a hot mic swearing at fellow parliamentary committee members, and when he had to apologize for making an inappropriate gesture in the chamber.

After former prime minister Trudeau’s Liberals won a landslide victory in the 2015 election, Poilievre became a prominent opposition critic on several files, including in the high-profile finance portfolio.

Poilievre wins leadership in landslide first-ballot vote

The Conservatives went on to see three leadership races in a five-year period. Despite some early enthusiasm for Poilievre to run in the 2020 contest, he opted out, citing a desire to focus on his family.

Then, once leader Erin O’Toole lost the 2021 election after vaccine mandates became a major issue in the final days of the race, Poilievre found his moment.

When the “Freedom Convoy” of truckers and other anti-vaccine mandate protesters gridlocked downtown Ottawa for three weeks in early 2022, Poilievre was a prominent supporter. From standing on a highway overpass as they rolled into Ottawa, to posing for photos with participants and bringing them doughnuts.

It was amid this divisive movement that he announced his intention to run for Conservative leadership in a three-minute video posted online titled “I’m running for Prime Minister to give you back control of your life.”

“Governments have gotten big and bossy,” Poilievre said off the top of the video, before criticizing federal spending and blaming it for inflation and the cost of living, a message track he’s maintained in the three years since.

The video was posted just three days after O’Toole was ousted as leader in a secret vote by the majority of his caucus.

Poilievre became an early front-runner in the race, on his message of making “Canadians the freest people on earth.”

The seven-month-long campaign was often referred to as a battle for the soul of the party.

Poilievre — vowing to rid Ottawa of “gatekeepers” and fire the governor of the Bank of Canada — drew thousands of people to his rallies and sold more than 312,000 memberships. He also claimed Harper’s coveted endorsement.

As the seven-month race rolled to a close, prominent Conservatives emphasized the need for the membership to come together once the winner was named and focus on defeating the Liberals rather than post-leadership unity questions.

Poilievre ended the race by winning in a landslide first-ballot victory, securing 22,993 of the just under 33,800 electoral points up for grabs. Poilievre secured support across the country, coming in as members’ first choice in almost every riding.

“Tonight begins the journey to replace an old government that costs you more and delivers you less, with a new government that puts you first, your paycheque, your retirement, your home, your country,” Poilievre said in his first speech as leader.

Introducing her husband as Canada’s next prime minister just before he made those remarks, Poilievre’s wife Anaida also took the opportunity to introduce herself, sharing some personal family history, in both official languages.

Poilievre met Anaida working in politics, and the pair eloped in Portugal in late 2017. Together they have two children, Valentina and Cruz. Since his leadership win Anaida has played a prominent role, often seen campaigning alongside her husband and has appeared in party advertising campaigns.

Party surges under Poilievre populism

The Conservatives soon began to surge in the polls under Poilievre’s leadership and populist message track, breaking away from the Liberals in just a few months, and maintaining a significant lead for nearly the last two years.

Within two months of becoming leader, Poilievre had seized on voters’ economic woes, slamming the Liberals over the carbon tax and housing affordability, declaring: “it feels like everything is broken in this country right now.”

A key messaging tool used by Poilievre is social media videos, which frequently rack up thousands of views.

He also leans into catchy slogans, repeating at rallies, in press releases, on social media, and in the House of Commons that “after nine years of Justin Trudeau,” it’s time to “axe the tax,” and “bring it home,” and coining oft-repeated terms such as “Justinflation.”

Softening his image, pushing for an election

Early in his time as leader Poilievre faced criticism from progressive politicians for aligning himself with online conspiracy theories. And when it was revealed that he’d been using a hidden tag on his YouTube channel to promote his videos to anti-women audiences, Trudeau pounced.

Responding at the time Poilievre confirmed that he “corrected the problem as soon as it became known,” and said he condemns “all forms of misogyny” and “took responsibility.”

Poilievre then underwent a rebrand to soften his image during the summer of 2023.

That included a massive ad-buy to position the leader as a family man, while also ridding himself of his glasses and tie, presenting a more casual look.

Flush with fundraising dollars, the party rolled out successive advertisements in the months that followed, both aimed at criticizing the government’s record and defining Poilievre in the eyes of voters.

He also started rolling out policy proposals, and sought to clarify his position on certain social issues that ensnared his predecessors, such as asserting that if he were to become prime minister he would uphold abortion and same sex marriage rights.

In recent months, as Trudeau faced calls from within his own party to step down, Poilievre and his MPs kept the pressure up inside the House of Commons.

Conservatives blocked the government from advancing legislation through a filibuster focused on an ethics controversy tied to green technology spending and used nearly every opportunity they had to advance non-confidence motions in repeated efforts to bring the government down and trigger an early election.

But when Trudeau tapped out as Liberal leader and the lead contenders in the race to replace him vowed to scrap the carbon tax — until that point Poilievre’s primary point of attack — the Conservative leader lost his two main points of contrast and had to pivot.

Amid a surge in national pride in the face of U.S. President Donald Trump’s attacks on Canadian sovereignty and trade, the Conservatives debuted a new rallying cry on Flag Day and are now running on a promise to put “Canada first.”

Five questions with Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre

What has inspired you this year?

I get inspired by people who know how to fix things and make things with their hands.

What was the last book you’ve read?

“More from Less,” by Andrew McAfee.

What is your drink of choice?

Really strong coffee.

What is your favourite made-in-Canada product?

Canadian beef.

Who do you call first with good news?

My wife, Ana.