Who is Pierre Poilievre?
Pierre Poilievre was born in Calgary in 1979. He was first elected MP for Nepean-Carleton in 2004 at age 25 and served as a parliamentary secretary and minister under Stephen Harper, including as Minister of Employment and Social Development in 2015. He won the Conservative leadership in September 2022 on the first ballot. In the April 2025 federal election the Conservatives won 144 seats, but the Liberals formed government and Poilievre lost his own Carleton seat. He returned to the House of Commons by winning a by-election in Battle River-Crowfoot, Alberta, on 18 August 2025 with about 81 percent of the vote, and passed a party leadership review with 87.4 percent support in January 2026.
Previously: MP for Battle River-Crowfoot (since August 2025) · MP for Carleton and Nepean-Carleton (2004-2025) · Minister of Employment and Social Development (2015) · Minister of State for Democratic Reform (2013-2015)
Documented positions
- Campaigned to cancel the federal carbon tax, repeal the ban on oil tankers off northern British Columbia and build more pipelines.Source: globalnews.ca
- Proposed a Canadian Sovereignty Act to repeal Bills C-69 and C-48, end the industrial carbon tax and the EV sales mandate, and remove capital gains tax on reinvestment in Canada.Source: globalnews.ca
- Proposed a Jail Not Bail Act that would create a major offence category and stop repeat offenders from being granted bail.Source: ctvnews.ca
- Proposed requiring large cities to increase homebuilding by 15 percent a year, with federal funding tied to the target.Source: cbc.ca
- Supports defunding the CBC's English-language services while keeping French-language programming.Source: cbc.ca
- Has said same-sex marriage will stay legal under his leadership and that a government he led would not legislate to restrict abortion.Source: cbc.ca
- Pledged in 2022 to fire the Bank of Canada governor over inflation and opposed banning Bitcoin or creating a central bank digital currency.Source: advisor.ca
- Proposed in September 2025 to abolish the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, replacing it with a separate agricultural labour stream.Source: globalnews.ca
Record
As opposition leader Poilievre has focused on cost of living, energy development, crime, housing and immigration. Four Conservative MPs crossed the floor to the Liberals between November 2025 and April 2026, which together with by-election wins gave the Liberals a majority; Poilievre said the majority was built on backroom deals. In 2026 he campaigned for Canadian unity ahead of Alberta's October referendum on separation, arguing that separatists' grievances were with the federal government rather than with Canada.
Supporters cite the party's 2025 gains, his focus on affordability and his leadership review result. Critics cite the 2025 election loss, his past proposals on the Bank of Canada and cryptocurrency, and his decision not to obtain a security clearance to read classified foreign interference material, which he has defended.
