As the newly-elected leader of the Conservative Party, Pierre Poilievre is poised to redefine the party and reshape Canadian politics forever..But looking back on Poilievre's life, the 43-year-old's ascension to leader of the Conservatives should not be seen as surprising. .Poilievre was born in 1979 to a teenage, unwed mother who had just lost her own mother. He was adopted and raised by French Canadian teachers in Saskatchewan, which taught him that, "voluntary generosity among family and community that are the greatest social safety net that we can ever have.”.In high school, Poilievre took on an interest in Canadian politics. He made his first political donation at age 15, and attended the Reform Party convention in Vancouver when he was 17. In his second year as a student at the University of Calgary, he was a finalist in the “As Prime Minister, I Would …” essay contest, winning $10,000..Even from a young age, Poilievre embodied all the characteristics of a classic Canadian Conservative. He favoured fiscal responsibility, lower taxes, and reducing both the government's size and its involvement in ordinary Canadians' lives.."The most important guardian of our living standards is freedom,” Poilievre wrote in his essay while in university. "As prime minister, I would relinquish to citizens as much of my social, political, and economic control as possible, leaving people to cultivate their own personal prosperity and to govern their own affairs as directly as possible.”.After university, Poilievre founded a company focused on providing political communications, polling and research services. In 2000, Poilievre became an important player in the campaign for Alberta cabinet minister Stockwell Day to seek the leadership of the Canadian Alliance, which was the successor to the Reform Party. .Poilievre made his political debut in 2004 when he won the Ottawa seat of Nepean—Carleton at the age of 25, making him the youngest MP in Canadian politics at the time. Poilievre was given the nickname "Skippy" by Conservative cabinet minister John Baird shortly after..Poilievre was was re-elected in his riding when Prime Minister Stephen Harper won his first minority government in 2006, and again in 2008, where he received the second-highest vote total of any candidate..Poilievre's confrontational style led him to be referred to as Harper's 'attack dog,' despite him claiming in one media interview, perhaps facetiously, "come on, I'm a very nice guy.".While Harper was prime minister, Poilievre served as minister for democratic reform from 2013 to 2015, and became minister of employment and social development in 2015..In January 2018, Poilievre married Anaida Galindo, a Senate aide. They had their first child later that year, and their second in 2021..After Justin Trudeau's Liberals won the election that same year, Poilievre served in shadow roles as the minister of Treasury Board, and then Employment, Labour and Work Opportunity. In 2019, Poilievre filibustered for four days straight in the House of Commons in protest of the Liberals interference in the SNC-Lavalin scandal..When Conservative leader Andrew Scheer made Poilievre his finance critic, the MP made a habit of hounding Finance Minister Bill Morneau for his spending. The ongoing feud between the two came to a head in 2020, when Poilievre demanded Morneau resign after his involvement in the 2020 WE Charity scandal. Morneau resigned shortly after and was replaced by Chrystia Freeland..Poilievre's criticism of deficit spending was a constant theme through Trudeau's reign as prime minister. .“Eventually, Justin Trudeau will run out of other people’s money,” Poilievre said back in 2017..After Scheer resigned in 2019, rumors emerged that Poilievre was running to replace him. But after assembling a campaign team, Poilievre decided not to after all.."I knew it would be hard on my family life to do this. But I did not realize how hard. Without being all in, I cannot be in at all," he said on social media..Poilievre decided to run for leader of the Conservative Party on February 5, 2022. His intentions to reduce the cost of living, remove gatekeepers, and make Canada the "freest country on earth" resonated deeply with members of the party, leading to his resounding victory over former Quebec Premier Jean Charest..With the Liberal Party under immense political pressure due to a sinking economy, rising inflation, and a multitude of scandals, the Conservatives seem better suited to win the next election than they were in 2021..But it remains to be seen how Poilievre will present himself in a general election against Prime Minister Trudeau. While Poilievre's messaging on the economy is resonating with Canadians, he has been roundly criticized for espousing populist ideals, supporting the Freedom Convoy occupation, and for cozying up to the Conservative Party's more conspiratorial and anti-globalist faction.
