He's a really smart guy.
I like that he is very aggressive.
He's a man of the people.
Ladies and gentlemen, I have some results.
We have a new leader, the honourable Pierre Poilievre.
OK, there you have it, Pierre Poilievre, leader of the Conservative Party of Canada.
A very decisive win.
As you can see there is a lot of love for him in this room.
But he has also been described as divisive and angry.
Love him or hate him, he could be the next Prime Minister of Canada.
Who is he?
Who is Pierre Poilievre?
Let's take a look.
Pierre Poilievre grew up in Calgary adopted by two teachers.
He often talks about how support should come from community not from government.
In a free country, smaller government makes room for bigger citizens.
So it was here that as a young Member of Parliament
in his twenties
Pierre Poilievre started really garnering the
reputation of being a combative adversary.
He was once caught on mic saying f you to some
fellow MPS in a committee meeting.
I remember him vividly.
Former Liberal MP Wayne Easter remembers dealing with a challenging Poilievre.
Him and I have had some rather interesting exchanges.
Dealing with this minister is like playing chess with a pigeon.
He slaps his wing all over the place knocks the pieces off the table
messes all over the table and struts around like he won the game.
I'd like to give the member some credit for creativity.
He was quite young, but he certainly didn't answer questions
and certainly didn't let the facts get in the way of a good story.
Ever the opportunist
in 2020 Poilievre was co-chairing a virtual committee hearing with Easter
when Easter's power went out
Poilievre saw an opening to grill the Prime Minister.
16 seconds are up I'm gonna ask you again because nobody believes you
when you say you don't know how much money your family has got from the WE group.
When he's on an issue he's like a dog with a bone
he's just a bulldog and he goes straight ahead on that issue regardless of what others
are trying to do.
That's why I'm running for prime minister
to put you back in charge of your life.
When Poilievre announced he was going to run earlier this year
he said he was doing so to give people the freedom
to run their own lives.
Freedom from the invisible thief of inflation
freedom to raise your kids with your values
freedom to make your own health and vaccine choices.
He's tapped into the anger and frustrations people have
with high food, gas, and housing prices.
His message on economic issues really resonates with a lot of people.
Shakir Chambers is a conservative strategist
says Poilievre's attacks on the government are also hitting
home with supporters.
When you are talking to politicians or the gatekeepers if you will
it's much more forceful because he views them as the issue
he views them as causing all these obstacles for the average Canadian.
Earlier this year Poilievre took heat for his
support of the so-called Freedom Convoy.
Of course he said that he didn't support illegal acts
but there were many elements in the protest itself were illegal.
There were hate symbols and conspiracy theories
and many people were concerned about the direction he was heading.
I worry he's catering to some of the misinformation
and angers that's out there.
And at the end of the day as a leader, he won't be able to do that.
I would hope that he can come back to the center.
What do you make of the Trump comparisons?
I would say comparing Poilievre to Trump is very lazy.
Donald Trump has a far more greater desire
to kind of stoke political violence and encourage things that
I don't think Pierre Poilievre has any desire to kind
of engage with.
Now that he's won the leadership race
can he win over enough Canadians to take
a general election an unseat Trudeau's liberals?
Do you think he'll be prime minister?
Oh, absolutely.
Why?
Because there's a hunger out there
there's a starvation out there to hear exactly what he was proclaiming tonight
he's saying what people want to hear.
Tell me how you're feeling right now?
I am feeling very excited
very optimistic for the next general election
honestly I believe that Justin Trudeau's days
of virtue signaling are coming to a fast end.
Jayme we know your podcast Front Burner
tomorrow and Tuesday is going to dive more deeply into Poilievre past
and where he may take the party in the future
but let's talk about the convention now
you were speaking with his supporters
and what was the big takeaway for you?
Yeah I think for me
and we spoke to a ton of his supporters
it was this sentiment that this is the only guy
right now, the only politician that really understands
the struggles that they're going through
and maybe more importantly that he's the only politician
that can stick it to the institutions
and the people they think are responsible for those struggles whether
that be the elites, the gatekeepers, or the head of the Bank of Canada.
Of course his critics will say
that this is textbook 21st century grievance populism
and that Poilievre is offering really simple solutions
to super complex problems.
But his supporters don't see it that way they
think this is the guy that Canada needs right now.
I feel like you'll be working through the night on your podcast.
But thank you very much for joining us now.
Thanks so much, Ian.