A man who could be Canada’s future Prime Minister

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

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

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

Poilievre is one step closer to making his vision a reality, and he even hinted at the story in a recent interview with conservative psychologist and commentator Jordan Peterson.

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

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

For Canadians frustrated by the sluggish economy and the housing and affordability crisis, he offers an alternative to what he calls Trudeau’s “authoritarian residency.”

A win would make him part of a group of violent right-wing leaders who have overthrown incumbent governments in the west.

Although he has invited comparisons to Donald Trump — and he has followers like Elon Musk and others in the US president-elect’s orbit — Poilievre’s story is very much a Canadian one.

Poilievre was born in the western Canadian province of Alberta to a 16-year-old mother who raised him for adoption. He was adopted by two school teachers, who raised him in a suburb of Calgary.

“I’ve always believed that voluntary generosity to family and community is the biggest social safety net we’ll ever have,” he told MaClean’s Magazine in 2022, reflecting on his early life.

“That’s my start.”

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

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

At the time, Day was seeking leadership of the Canadian Alliance — a right-wing party with Alberta roots that became part of the modern Conservatives in 2003 — and contacted Poilievre for help with college outreach.

“He impressed me from the start,” Day told the BBC in an interview. “He seemed like a very classy young man, but full of energy and able to attract people’s attention.”

Day’s leadership bid was successful, and he sent Poilievre to Ottawa as his assistant. Some time later, Poilievre entered his office on a cold winter night to ask his opinion about running for office.

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

In Ottawa, Poilievre was nicknamed Skippy by peers and enemies alike for his youthful enthusiasm and sharp tongue.

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

Behind closed-door Conservative caucus meetings, Poilievre has shown his social side, Day said.

“Pierre was always able to say, ‘Okay, you know what?

Nevertheless, the politics of confrontation became the foundation of Poilievre’s personality. After becoming Conservative leader in 2022, he would target Trudeau with harsh words as a way to connect with disaffected voters.

It has gotten him into trouble at times. In April, he was expelled from the House of Commons for calling the prime minister a “wacko”.

Poilievre told the Montreal Gazette in June that he is a fan of “direct speech”.

“I think that when respect conflicts with the truth, I choose the truth,” he said. “I think we’ve been polite for a long time with our political class.”

His approach to combating it has been divisive, being criticized for oversimplifying things for political gain.

While Canadians are open to the opposition leader’s message as a change from Trudeau’s progressive style of politics, more than half of them have a negative view of him, according to recent polls.

Poilievre has also had to change his outlook since Trudeau’s resignation was announced, in order to continue the inevitable matchup between himself and the next Liberal leader.

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

He came out in support of those protesting the mandate to vaccinate during the 2021 “Freedom Convoy” protests that shut down Ottawa for weeks.

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

In social issues, Poilievre has never considered – what Prof. Besco said is typical of senior Conservatives, who see these topics as a “lost issue”.

Although Poilievre voted against legalizing gay marriage in the early 2000s, he recently said it would be legalized “full stop” if elected.

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

“I can lead a small government that focuses on its own business,” Poilievre said in June.

Between a public debate in Canada in recent months Regarding immigration, the group said it will limit the number of new people and the number of new houses built, and focus on bringing in skilled workers.

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

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

One of his biggest promises – to end Trudeau’s national carbon pricing scheme, which he says is a financial burden on families – has raised questions about how his government will tackle issues such as climate change.

Canada also faces the threat of rising tariffs when Trump takes office later this month, and US-Canada relations are expected to be a major challenge.

Poilievre went back Trump’s comments suggesting that Canada be 51 The US state, vows to “put Canada first”.

He hasn’t gotten into foreign policy much if at all, his message is focused on restoring the “Canadian dream”.

Above all, Poilievre says he wants to end the “bigotry” and “utopian wokesim” that he believes has defined the Trudeau era, in favor of “good and big things for ordinary people”.

“I’ve been saying the same thing all along,” he told Mr Peterson.