Who is Pierre Poilivre?

The libertarian-minded Conservative is slated to reverse Trudeau’s most damaging policies as Canada’s next prime minister.

Author

Anthony Constantini
January 18, 2025

What’s happening: Canada is almost certainly going to have an election by May. Even without Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s resignation announcement, his minority government had long been teetering on the edge. His all-but-certain replacement is Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre (pronounced “Paw-lee-yev”).

  • The trend: Poilievre’s inevitable premiership has been a long time coming. His party has dominated the polls since mid-2022; they’re currently poised to win the biggest parliamentary majority since 1984.

About Poilievre: Becoming a parliamentarian in 2004 at the age of only 25, Poilievre worked his way up the Conservative Party, serving in previous governments. He has long held a small-government philosophy and frequently mentions libertarian economist Milton Friedman in his speeches.

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