About Pierre

45 years old

Hometown: Calgary, Alberta

Pierre Poilievre grew up in Calgary and was adopted by two school teachers. One of them is a French-speaking Canadian from Saskatchewan. He became interested in politics as a teenager after going to a Progressive Conservative meeting with his mother. Pierre studied international relations at the University of Calgary and graduated in 2008. Before finishing school, he was elected as a Member of Parliament in 2004, when he was just 25 years old. Pierre took on a number of positions in the Harper government including Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the Treasury Board in 2006, Minister of State for Democratic Reform and later as Minister of Employment and Social Development. He became the leader of the Conservative Party in 2022.

The Conservative Party will take several actions to make housing more affordable and accessible. They will remove the GST sales tax on newly built homes (costing up to 1.3 million) to help lower costs for buyers and reduce mortgage payments, turn thousands of government buildings and public lands into space for new homes, and encourage cities to approve building permits faster and reduce housing-related taxes.^[1]

The Conservatives will support training for construction workers by funding 350,000 new spots in trade schools and bringing back a $4,000 grant for apprentices. They will also allow people who invest in building homes to delay paying certain taxes, helping bring in more money for new housing projects.^[1][2]

To address healthcare staffing shortages, the Conservatives want to create a new test to help people like doctors and nurses get licensed to work in Canada faster. This plan would make it easier for skilled workers to start working more quickly and move between provinces.^[7][8]

The Conservative Party wants to protect Canadian workers and jobs by making trade rules fairer. Their plan includes adding a 100% tariff (tax) on electric vehicles (EVs) made in China, adding a 50% tariff on things like computer chips (semiconductors) and solar panels, and adding a 25% tariff on steel, aluminum, EV batteries, battery parts, and other important materials. The Conservatives also plan to stop rebates for electric vehicles made in China.^[9][10]

On March 30, Pierre Poilievre announced the Canada First Reinvestment Tax Cut. This plan would let people avoid paying certain taxes (capital gains tax) if they use their profits to invest in Canadian businesses. The Conservative Party believes this will encourage more people to support and grow local companies.^[11][12]

The Conservative Party would remove all carbon pricing, even for big industries. Instead, they would give more tax credits to businesses that lower their emissions and support clean energy technology.^[13][14]

A Conservative government would approve new pipelines to both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts and speed up LNG (liquefied natural gas) projects. They plan to work with Indigenous communities and support the next phase of the LNG Canada project. Their goal is to increase Canada’s oil and gas exports and bring in billions of dollars for the federal government.^[15][16]

The Conservative Party says it would set a limit on the number of people allowed to immigrate to Canada. They do not support a plan to grow Canada’s population to 100 million, especially when people are struggling to find housing.^[20][21]

They also say they would work to keep criminals out of the country, prevent immigration fraud, and stop false refugee claims.^[20][22]

If elected, the Conservative Party would commit to the NATO spending target for Canada. They would focus on rebuilding the Canadian military, with an emphasis on gaining more control over border security.^[32][33]

The Conservatives want to strengthen Canada’s North and protect it from threats like China and Russia. They said they would double the number of Canadian Rangers, add more icebreaker ships, and build a new military base in Iqaluit, Nunavut. These steps are part of a larger plan to improve Canada’s defence in the Arctic, including better equipment, aircraft, and support stations.^[34][35]

The Conservative Party says it would take several steps to protect people and communities in Canada. This includes listing dangerous groups as terrorist groups, tracking people who work for foreign governments and are trying to influence or scare Canadians, helping at-risk communities get funding for security more easily and faster, and creating a special team to prevent hate crimes and support religious communities.^[26][27]

Conservatives say they would create a law to keep people who commit three serious crimes in prison longer, without bail or early release. These repeat offenders could face at least 10 years in prison and would have to show they are no longer dangerous before being let out.^[28][29]

The Conservative Party says that to respond to trade problems with the United States, they would focus on improving trade within Canada. Pierre Poilievre says he would work with provincial leaders to remove trade barriers so goods and services can move more easily across the country. This would include creating one set of rules for trucking and encouraging provinces to make these changes by sharing extra tax money earned from increased trade. The goal is to help Canada become more self-reliant and less dependent on trade with the U.S.^[36][37]

Poilievre said that if he becomes prime minister, he will propose an early renegotiation of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement ahead of its planned update in 2026.^[38][39]

The Conservative Party has focused on economic reconciliation with Indigenous peoples and has expressed support for the First Nations Resource Charge (FNRC). This program would allow First Nations to manage their own resources and keep the money made from them.^[40][41]

The Conservative Party says they are against government control over what people can see or say online. They believe Canadians should be free to make their own choices about what content they view, without interference. They are concerned about recently proposed bills that would give the government too much power to control and prioritize online content. Conservatives say they support free expression and want to protect a free and open internet.^[42]

Pierre Poilievre and the Conservative Party say they want to make sure the law clearly bans serious online harms, like bullying a child, encouraging self-harm, or sharing private or fake images without permission.They believe these actions should be treated as crimes, investigated by police, and punished in court. They say this approach would better protect children and support victims.^[43][44]

If elected, a Conservative government has not stated that they would make any changes to Canada’s current electoral system.^[45][46]

The Conservative Party says it will take foreign interference seriously and act to better protect Canada’s democracy. In response to the final report from Commissioner Hogue, Conservatives say they will carefully study her recommendations and take steps to stop foreign governments from interfering in Canadian elections.^[45][46]