5 things to know about Pierre Poilievre, Canada’s new Conservative Party leader
Pierre #Pierre
⭐️HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW⭐️
Over the weekend, longtime Canadian Conservative politician Pierre Poilievre won his bid for the leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada.
He beat four other candidates in the running.
He replaces Erin O’Toole, who resigned earlier this year.
Canadians who are registered members of the Conservative Party of Canada are eligible to vote for the party’s leader.
Poilievre’s platform was based around promoting a version of freedom that states that governments should play less of a role in the lives of its citizens.
His platform also highlights the worsening inflation crisis, and says that sharply reducing government spending will help solve the issue.
CBC Kids News has gathered five facts to help you get to know the new leader better as he works toward a bid for prime minister in the next federal election.
Pierre Poilievre gave a speech to Canadians in Ottawa on Sept. 10 after winning his bid for leader of the Conservative Party. (Image credit: Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)
1. He’s a longtime politician
Poilievre’s time in politics dates back to his time as a student at the University of Calgary, where he led the campus Conservative club.
Poilievre, who is 43, was first elected to Parliament at the age of 24 as the representative of the riding of Nepean-Carleton, which is in Ottawa.
He’s been a member of Parliament for seven terms.
He was a senior cabinet minister in former prime minister Stephen Harper’s government.
Born in Calgary, Alberta, he now lives in Greely, Ontario.
2. He’s all about ‘freedom’
During his campaign, Poilievre promised to make “Canada the freest country on Earth” by limiting the influence of government in the lives of Canadians.
Poilievre’s position is that the government shouldn’t get involved in the lives of Canadians more than is necessary, and said he would make it easier for Canadians to open businesses without heavy government tax and red tape.
He said he would ban all future vaccine mandates related to work and travel, which paralleled some of the goals of the trucker protests from earlier this year.
In February 2022, a convoy of truckers filled the streets of downtown Ottawa in a protest that began as a call to end COVID-19 restrictions. Poilievre’s platform shared some of the same goals. (image credit: Justin Tang/The Canadian Press)
He also said he would reverse the Liberal government’s attempts to regulate major internet platforms, which he says is akin to censorship.
3. His nickname is Skippy
Dating back to his first political win at 24, many of Poilievre’s fellow party members call him Skippy.
Skippy the Bush Kangaroo was a 1960s Australian TV show that followed the friendship of a young boy and his pet kangaroo. (Image credit: primevideo.com)
According to a Canadian Press article from 2004, the name is a reference to a kangaroo from an Australian kids’ show, Skippy the Bush Kangaroo.
4. He won by a landslide
Poilievre won the leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada by two-thirds of the vote.
Randy Besco, a professor of political science at the University of Toronto, said he likely beat out his main opponent, Jean Charest, because he is more conservative, whereas Charest’s more moderate platform failed to resonate with Conservative Party members .
“Generally, the candidate that is the more conservative and also credible wins,” Besco told CBC News.
5. It’s pronounced paul-ee-EV
As the leader of the official opposition in Ottawa, he’ll likely be running for prime minister in the next election, which is scheduled for October 2025.
In the meantime, you may be hearing Poilievre’s name a lot more now that he’s the Conservative Party leader.
Best to get a handle on that French pronunciation!
It’s paul-ee-EV.
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With files from Aaron Wherry/CBC, Peter Zimonjic/CBC and The Canadian Press.
TOP IMAGE CREDIT: Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press