Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says Canadian voters know he’s a “fighter,” but that he needs to do a better job explaining what he’s actually fighting for.
In a year-end interview with Global News anchor and executive editor Dawna Friesen, Poilievre said he has reflected on his leadership and approach after April’s disappointing election loss.
One of his conclusions was that he needs to make clear he’s not “fighting for the sake of fighting.”
“It’s fighting for the people,” Poilievre said.
Poilievre went on to list various types of people he said he’s fighting for: single parents concerned about grocery bills, young Canadians worried about housing prices and their future, families struggling with getting access to addiction treatment.
“Some people might say, you know, just give up, throw in the towel. But the people I just described, they don’t give up … I have to fight on like they fight on, and their future is worth fighting for. That’s why I’m in this,” Poilievre said.
Poilievre has long been known for his aggressive, sharp-elbowed approach to partisan politics in Ottawa — from the time he was a 20-something backbencher to now at the helm of the Conservative Party.
The approach served him well when his opponent was Justin Trudeau. Heading into 2025, Poilievre and the Conservatives were up more than 20 percentage points over Trudeau’s Liberals.
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Then Trudeau resigned, and Mark Carney led a resurgence in the Liberals’ fortunes and defeated the Conservatives in a fourth straight election. Poilievre lost his own Ottawa-area seat in the contest, forcing the Conservative leader to spend the post-election months campaigning in a safe Tory seat in Alberta.
Heading into 2026, Poilievre said he’s shifting his message to one of “hope” — a sharp contrast from his former “Canada is broken” message track.
“I think people desperately need hope. Hope that they can afford groceries, hope they can afford homes,” Poilievre said.
“And many have put hope in me in the past. But we have to keep inspiring them so that more will do so in the future.”
While the tone and communications approach may have changed — Poilievre even agreeing to interviews with major news outlets is a shift from previous practice — the Conservative leader made clear his policy priorities will not.
Poilievre said he and his party will remain focused on affordability issues, crime and immigration — all prominent planks in the Conservatives’ 2025 election campaign.
“Just because I campaigned on affordability in the last election doesn’t mean we will not campaign on affordability in the next election,” Poilievre said.
“Because at the end of the day, people deserve to be able to afford groceries and housing and they deserve a safe street to live on. So we’re going to push forward the policies that matter in the daily lives of everyday Canadians.”
Poilievre also said that he would push through a West Coast pipeline project — long a policy goal of his party — against any opposition, including First Nations communities impacted by the pipeline route.
Asked what he would say to those communities, Poilievre said he would thank “them for their input.”
“At the end of the day, the prime minister has to decide and my decision … is I will approve a pipeline,” Poilievre said.
“Those who want to kill projects, they’re consistently trampling on First Nations people who would benefit from the jobs, from the revenue for clean drinking water and for schools that would result.”
Poilievre will face the Conservative grassroots at a convention in late January, where party members will have the chance to give a straight up-or-down vote on his continued leadership. While he is expected to garner substantial support to continue on, Poilievre’s grip on the party has been tested by two MPs crossing the floor to Carney’s Liberals over the fall session of the House of Commons.
Asked about Chris d’Entremont and Michael Ma joining the Liberal caucus, Poilievre once again accused Carney of making “backroom deals” to try and secure a majority mandate.
“I think at the end of the day, (the floor crossers) should respect their constituents voted for our Conservative plan for a more affordable and safe country,” Poilievre said.
Friesen’s full interview with Poilievre will run Sunday, Dec. 21st on Global News’ The West Block.
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