Pierre Poilievre

Pierre Poilievre is the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, a role he has held since 2022.

His party fell short in the 2025 federal vote, with the Liberals securing a fourth straight term in the April 28 election under new leader Mark Carney.

Who is Pierre Poilievre?

Poilievre was born and raised in Calgary and studied international relations at the University of Calgary. He went on to work for Stockwell Day, the leader of the Canadian Alliance — a party that subsequently merged into the modern-day Conservative party.

Poilievre was first elected as a Conservative MP in 2004, at the age of 25, in the Ottawa riding of Nepean-Carleton. He lost his seat in the most recent election to Liberal Bruce Fanjoy, but is remaining on as party leader.

A career politician, Poilievre has been a notable face for the party for years, a go-to voice for the Conservatives in the House of Commons while the party sat on the opposition benches. 

Where does Pierre Poilievre stand on key environmental issues?

Poilievre had focused his ire on the carbon tax and the former prime minister Justin Trudeau, but had to pivot hard as the Liberals turned on their tax and Trudeau — and as the U.S. turned its back on its closest ally. 

He has made it clear he wants to boost the Canadian energy sector.

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What’s at stake for the natural world in this election? A lot — and we have you covered. Sign up for our newsletter for updates from the campaign trail and whatever comes next.

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The federal election is here

In his election pitch, Poilievre proposed to lift the cap on oilsands emissions and speed up approval for refineries, liquefied natural gas plants and pipelines to “cause a massive resource boom.”

“My plan on the environment is technology and not taxes,” he said in a short video posted on social media platforms in May 2024.

Poilievre has said he wants to speed up approval of renewable energy developments like nuclear, hydroelectric and offshore tidal power projects.

“We can’t afford five or six years of federal red tape blocking hydroelectric dams that are going to be necessary to supply the kilowattage to power an electric economy,” he said in the video.