The Conservative leader is having trouble getting support, especially from women, partly because he is seen to be too much of an attack dog. If he is going to be successful, that approach must soften.
By Sheila Copps
First published in The Hill Times on July 21, 2025.
OTTAWA—Pierre Poilievre is riding the wrong horse.
The Conservative leader’s press conference last week attacking the prime minister for putting his holdings into a blind trust continued to personalize Poilievre’s political agenda.
He is now recommending that anyone who is elected to public office in Canada must sell off their holdings or they should not be allowed to remain in office.
Poilievre himself defended the notion of a blind trust when then-prime minister Stephen Harper hired Nigel Wright as his chief of staff.
Like Prime Minister Mark Carney, Wright had deep roots in the private sector. Other political notables like former prime minister Paul Martin faced a similar challenge while in office. Martin owned a major Canadian steamship company and, like Wright and Carney, placed his assets in a blind trust upon entering cabinet.
Poilievre knows full well that if divestiture were the only option for political office holders, many current and former politicians would never have sought the job.
He also knows that the screens being established for Carney’s trust, including oversight by the conflict of interest and ethics commissioner, and screening by the clerk of the privy council and his own chief of staff, make it impossible for the prime minister to influence decisions that would personally benefit him. The fact that Carney’s holdings are in a blind trust also means that the trustee could divest all his holdings without Carney’s consultation or approval. Given the nature of these assets that likely is not going to happen, but the notion that one should sell off everything they own to get into politics is unsustainable, and Poilievre knows it.
What is even more strange about the attacks is how personal they appear to be. There is no love lost between the two men but, if only for public consumption, Poilievre needs to appear more friendly.
The Conservative leader is having trouble getting support, especially from women, partly because he is seen to be too much of an attack dog. If he is going to be successful then that approach must soften.
There is only one way to do that. Poilievre should go hard on issues, but he must be softer on people. The personal nature of his animus doesn’t sit very well with the general public.
Most Canadians don’t know—or care—that much about the rules governing ministerial and prime ministerial financial holdings. They do know about the price of eggs, housing, and the cost of the American tariff war.
Those are the issues that Poilievre should be focusing on if he intends to become a reasoned and reasonable alternative to the current prime minister.
With the Liberals in a minority situation, it is quite possible that another election could be called within the next two years. In that time frame, Carney must prove that his leadership capacity extends beyond the private sector.
A key element in that proof is how Canada emerges from the tariff war imposed by American President Donald Trump.
Carney ran an aggressive election campaign, promising “elbows up” in any fight with the Americans.
Canadians are doing their part in this fight. Land crossings to the United States are down by almost a third, and American tourism destinations are pulling out all the stops in an attempt to lure them back. Yankee produce is rotting on store shelves in this country
Some U.S. destinations are aggressively wooing Canucks with advertising, while others have even renamed streets in honour of Canada. Governors have gone on Canadian airwaves to apologize for the president, and to ask for absolution and tourism.
But Trump continues to publicly threaten our nation at every step of the negotiation.
Carney will have to be very careful not to drop his elbows. He cannot afford to look as though he is playing second fiddle in these talks.
Carney has to come up with a win. Chances are any agreement will be tempered by some sacrifices that could be problematic.
That is where Poilievre should be focussing his attention.
If Carney is going to have to water down Canadian supply management, there will be a huge political opening for the Conservative leader in Quebec. A cogent, sustained support for dairy farmers would be a good place to start.
By continuing personal attacks, Poilievre appears unchastened by his party’s electoral loss and his riding defeat.
In an interview last week, Poilievre blamed his loss in Carleton, Ont., on his decision to publicly promise a public service cut.
In the circumstances, a little humility would serve him better than personal attacks.
Sheila Copps is a former Jean Chrétien-era cabinet minister and a former deputy prime minister. Follow her on Twitter at @Sheila_Copps.
