Poilievre’s Persistence

Conservatives Double Down 

You’ve heard it so many times that you can recite it by heart, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has been unwavering in communicating his party’s priorities for the country: Axe the Tax, Build the Homes, Stop the Crime, and Fix the Budget. Except a new phrase has officially entered the mix: Canada First. 

The continuation of the affordability theme does not signal any major shift in Poilievre’s focus. Instead, Poilievre is elevating the conversation and reigniting engagement at a time when Canadians are rallying against the mounting challenges from President Trump’s expanding tariff policies. The rallying cry message is a natural progression of Poilievre’s vision for Canada by putting Canadians first, getting Canadians ahead, and making Canada the best country in the world.  

What Poilievre’s doubling down confirms is his serious commitment to consistently lead from a core set of first principles, no matter the threat or opportunity. Such consistency and stable vision creates a strong contrast with the governing Liberals – as their leadership contenders continue to prominently pledge to unwind the very policies the party had enacted, Conservatives retrench on their policy priorities. Or, as Liberals rediscover patriotism, the Conservatives proudly remain wrapped in the flag, unashamed of Canada’s founding legacies. 

Poilievre’s Canada First Plan 

Poilievre has announced an extensive list of policies he will hit the ground running with to make Canada more competitive and to punch back against the threat of American tariffs. Many of these policies had been previously announced in Poilievre’s now two-plus years as Leader of the CPC, but more details and timelines were on offer:  

• Retaliate with dollar-for-dollar tariffs against America’s unjustified tariff threats, with 100% of the proceeds going to reimbursing businesses and workers that are directly impacted. The rest will go to tax cuts for Canadians. Not one penny will go to other government spending. 

• Repeal the unconstitutional No-New Pipelines Law C-69 within 60 days and replace it with a new law that protects nature and gets projects approved within a year of an application. 

• Immediately green-light all federal permits for the Ring of Fire in Northern Ontario to harvest chromite, cobalt, nickel, copper, and platinum. 

• Take back control of our Arctic by establishing the first permanent Arctic base since the Cold War in Iqaluit, two extra heavy icebreakers for the Navy, and 2000 more Canadian Rangers to keep the true north strong and free.  

• Bring together the Premiers within 30 days of forming government to agree on removing as many interprovincial trade barriers as possible. On top of this, Poilievre will prioritize finding an agreement on a standard set of trucking rules to get billions of dollars of goods moving east-west and offer provinces a Free Trade Bonus to get a deal done.  

• Create a Blue Seal Professional Licensing Standard recognized in each province so doctors, nurses and engineers can work in all provinces and territories and those Canadians trained abroad can quickly get certified and working in Canada up to our standards.  

• Remove the GST on new homes under $1 million, saving $40,000 or $2,200/year in mortgage payments on a $800,000 house and bringing more jobs for our skilled trades workers. 

• Within 60 days of becoming Prime Minister, name a Tax Reform Task Force of entrepreneurs, inventors, farmers, and workers to design a Bring it Home Tax Cut that will lower taxes on energy, work, homebuilding, investment, and making stuff in Canada as well as 20% less paperwork by simplifying tax rules.  

• Incentivize Indigenous leaders to support energy projects by letting companies pay a share of their federal corporate taxes to local First Nations. This will help First Nations create their own source of money for clean drinking water, schools, job training, and more. These projects will make First Nations the richest people in the world, while we get things approved and make Canada more self-reliant.  

• Reverse Liberal Bill C-5 and Bill C-75 and impose life sentences for fentanyl kingpins to shut down drug manufacturing and superlabs, saving lives. 

• Take back control of our border by sending military troops and helicopters to the border now, adding 2,000 new border agents, and giving CBSA powers for full border and more. Build border surveillance towers and deploy truck-mounted drone systems that can spot border incursions; track departures so we know which people that have been deported have actually left. 

• Install high-powered scanners at all major land crossings and shipping ports to spot drugs, guns, and stolen cars inside containers or vehicles.  

• End cancel culture and stop the war on our history by building a monument to the brave Canadians who fought in Afghanistan, strengthening penalties for those who tear down or deface our symbols, and restoring Canadian heroes like Terry Fox, the Famous Five, and our Indigenous peoples to the passport.  

• Restore in-person citizenship ceremonies and add the following words to the existing oath: “I pledge gratitude to those who worked, sacrificed, and gave their lives to defend the freedom I now enjoy and to build the country of Canada I now call home. Like them, I pledge to fulfill my duties as a Canadian citizen.” 

For the Conservatives, it is as if the election has already been called – releasing detailed policy, hosting a massive campaign-like rally, expending resources on attack style ads. This is in addition to the hundreds of events that Poilievre has personally attended across the entire country over the past year. Don’t expect the Conservatives to let off the gas, but rather to bank on current enthusiasms and continue ramping up to ensure they have a running start against whomever their Liberal adversary will be.  

Liberals Backtrack Key Policy Points 

A massive shift has occurred in another political camp. The leading Liberal leadership candidates are now campaigning on promises in direct contradiction to Trudeau’s flagship policies. Complete new directions include:  

• scrapping the consumer carbon tax;  

• reversing the capital gains tax inclusion rate increase; and  

• promising to build more pipelines.  

This has been occurring while many key Trudeau cabinet and caucus members have announced that they will not be seeking re-election. While the Liberals may be benefiting from a bump in the polls, there are still turbulent waters ahead on policy and personnel files.  

Upon completion of their leadership race, the Liberals will most likely move to seek a new mandate as Parliament remains prorogued and Canada faces the most pressing economic challenge in decades. Rather than wait out prorogation and test the confidence of The House, the new Liberal Leader and Prime Minister may strategically move to dissolve Parliament and initiate an election on their own accord.  

After a decade of Liberal governing and prior to Trudeau’s resignation announcement, it was widely accepted that Canadians had an appetite for a change election. It is yet to be seen whether Canadians will find a change in Liberal leader to be sufficiently appealing, or if the desire for change proves to be more substantive.  

Consistent Conservative Communications 

Poilievre’s principles have been unwavering since as a twenty-year-old he wrote his award-winning essay “as Prime Minister.” What has changed, however, is that Canadians are in need of a leader that understands the pulse of the country, appreciates the needs of the people, and responds accordingly. Poilievre’s consistent communications style of direct and digestible content displays a track record of correctly reading the national sentiment and honing his considerable gifts to connect with Canadians where they are at.  

The elephant in the room is the recent polls showing a bump in the polls for the Liberal Party after a breakaway lead for the Conservatives since mid-2023. Everyone will be speculating as more polls are released, with some already showing the change in Liberal voter intention is coming from the NDP’s voters, not entirely at the expense of the Conservatives’. 

While Conservatives never expected to perpetually maintain the leads experienced in the depth of the Liberals most unpopular moments, they still have plenty of runway and budget to spend on attacking the new Liberal leader’s record with Canadians, and showcasing the change and reform that Poilievre embodies.  

The terrain of our politics may have been altered, but the Conservative approach has proven unflinching under Poilievre’s leadership.  

Want to position your organization for success? 

The team at Counsel has been closely monitoring Poilievre’s policy announcements and are ready to advise your organization on your advocacy goals should the Conservatives form government. Are you ready to explore strategies for success? Please reach out to our team members below.