Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre gave a lengthy interview to psychologist and media personality Jordan Peterson, touching on his vision for Canada and how he plans to implement it.

HereB次元官网网址檚 what we learned from the interview, which was recorded on Dec. 21 and released Friday:

Election now

Poilievre has no qualms with a federal election taking place during a possible Liberal leadership race. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is facing increasing calls, including within his own caucus, to step down.

B次元官网网址淭he Canadian people are not obliged B次元官网网址� 41 million people are not obliged to wait around while this party sorts out its sB次元官网网址攖. Like, these guys could have got rid of Trudeau a year and a half ago.B次元官网网址�

Big energy companies have been B次元官网网址渃omplete idiotsB次元官网网址� about carbon policy

Poilievre chided CanadaB次元官网网址檚 energy sector for seeming to go along with Liberal policies such as on the environment.

B次元官网网址淭he Big Five oil companies in Canada have idiot lobbyists. They have brilliant workers, incredible workers, but idiot lobbyists. And theyB次元官网网址檝e been trying to suck up for the last 10 years and did nothing to support the right policies in the prior years. So thatB次元官网网址檚 going to have to change.B次元官网网址�

He deems his opposition to be communist

Poilievre says Trudeau has governed with B次元官网网址渁n extremely radical ideologyB次元官网网址� that is B次元官网网址渂asically authoritarian socialism,B次元官网网址� and says the NDP would have done exactly the same if they were in power.

He also says B次元官网网址渋t is a classic for socialistsB次元官网网址� to try to disown what theyB次元官网网址檝e done and change their names.

B次元官网网址淔irst they were communists, and then they became socialist, and then they became social democrats, and then they became B次元官网网址� they stole the word liberal, and then they ruined that word. They changed their name to progressives, and then they changed their name to woke. And now they claim they donB次元官网网址檛 want to be called woke anymore,B次元官网网址� he said.

Poilievre added that his appeal to young voters is that B次元官网网址渢heyB次元官网网址檝e learned that (government) help is the sunny side of control.B次元官网网址�

Lots of land

Poilievre argued the lack of homes in Canada is an B次元官网网址渆ntirely politicalB次元官网网址� problem because the country has such a large land mass.

B次元官网网址淚t should be dirt cheap, because we have the most dirt. We just need to get the government out of the way,B次元官网网址� he said.

B次元官网网址淭here is no physical, geographic reason why Canada should struggle to supply people with great opportunities of home ownership and family formation.B次元官网网址�

He wonB次元官网网址檛 moderate

Poilievre says he wonB次元官网网址檛 try to shift his policies to the centre or left, saying it would only lead to bad results and is B次元官网网址渢he mistake that conservative parties around the world have made countless times.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淒oes the temptation exist to try and take on the political policies of the socialists in the short term? Sure, but itB次元官网网址檚 one that I will fiercely resist, because I know that by the fourth year of my mandate, people would be enraged, because their lives would be even worse.B次元官网网址�

He also said he would focus on problems facing Canadian families instead of on tackling issues on the global scale.

B次元官网网址淧eople are sick and tired of grandiosity,B次元官网网址� he said, rejecting B次元官网网址渢his horrendous, utopian wokeismB次元官网网址� that serves B次元官网网址渆gotistical personalities on topB次元官网网址� instead of B次元官网网址渃ommon people.B次元官网网址�

No hyphens, please

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e not interested in the worldB次元官网网址檚 ethnocultural conflicts,B次元官网网址� Poilievre said, praising multiculturalism but saying people who come to Canada need to leave their baggage back in their home countries.

B次元官网网址淢ost people come here to get away from those things. So by getting back to a common sense of values and identity, and reminding people that they are B次元官网网址� when they get here, they are Canadian first. Canada first. Leave the hyphens; we donB次元官网网址檛 need to be a hyphenated society.B次元官网网址�

He urged Canadians to B次元官网网址減ut aside race, this obsession with race that wokeism has reinserted.B次元官网网址�

Poilievre also echoed comments he previously made when asked about Pride events, saying he wants people to be B次元官网网址渏udged based on their individual character and humanity, rather than by their group identity.B次元官网网址�

His plan to grow the economy

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e going to cut bureaucracy, cut the consultants, cut foreign aid, cut back on corporate welfare to large corporations. WeB次元官网网址檙e going to use the savings to bring down the deficit and taxes and unleash the free-enterprise system,B次元官网网址� Poilievre pledged.

He plans to slash the LiberalsB次元官网网址� reform of regulation for megaprojects B次元官网网址渢o cause a massive resource boom in our countryB次元官网网址� and generate enough electricity to power data centres.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e going to bring back a monetary discipline to bring down inflation (and) stop the money printing,B次元官网网址� he said, arguing that because Parliament does not vote on whether to print money, B次元官网网址渢he inflation is adopted secretly.B次元官网网址�

The Bank of Canada has pushed back on claims that it is printing cash to finance the federal government. It said purchasing bonds has lowered interest rates so people could weather the COVID-19 pandemic, and this did not involve printing cash.

He lists his stars

When asked to list B次元官网网址減eople who will be keyB次元官网网址� in a Poilievre government, he noted four MPs from his front bench:

Former leader and House speaker Andrew Scheer, who can navigate B次元官网网址減rocedural manoeuvresB次元官网网址� in Parliament.

Infrastructure critic Leslyn Lewis, whom he praised for her work in that file. She ran for party leadership against Poilievre, and has backed a petition calling on Canada to pull out of the United Nations.

B次元官网网址淣ewcomers like Jamil Jivani,B次元官网网址� a former radio host who has a direct relationship with U.S. vice-president-elect JD Vance.

Deputy leader Melissa Landsman, who is B次元官网网址渆xtremely well liked in Toronto (and) very well known across the country.B次元官网网址�

Some sort of crackdown

Poilievre pledged B次元官网网址渢he biggest crackdown on crime in Canadian history, a massive crackdownB次元官网网址� but was sparse on details when Peterson asked what that means, other than saying that B次元官网网址渉abitual offenders will not get out of jail anymore.B次元官网网址�

He says Peterson is a free-speech champion

Peterson was directed by the College of Psychologists of Ontario to undergo a remedial coaching program after social-media conduct that the college deemed to be degrading, demeaning and posing a risk to the public.

Peterson has lost three attempts to appeal the 2022 ruling, saying his freedom of speech has been impeded. His tweets included referring to a nonbinary city councillor as an B次元官网网址渁ppalling self-righteous moralizing thingB次元官网网址� and saying that B次元官网网址渘o amount of authoritarian toleranceB次元官网网址� could make him deem one plus-size model to be beautiful.

Poilievre thanked Peterson for his B次元官网网址渋mmense courageB次元官网网址� in standing by his convictions.

B次元官网网址淵ouB次元官网网址檝e had a spine of steel, and there are countless other people who will have the freedom to express themselves because you paid the price for them.B次元官网网址�

Stronger than yesterday

When asked how heB次元官网网址檇 changed since becoming Conservative leader in fall 2022, Poilievre said he had learned to B次元官网网址渢ake a punchB次元官网网址� while taking on B次元官网网址渧ested interestsB次元官网网址� across Canada.

B次元官网网址淚 would say IB次元官网网址檓 tougher,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚 withstood those punches and as a result, I feel stronger now.B次元官网网址�

Little pushback on policy

The Liberals and NDP reacted to the interview by denouncing that PetersonB次元官网网址檚 podcast episode had support from an Indiana-based Christian anti-abortion group that seeks to protect B次元官网网址減re-bornB次元官网网址� babies.

The Friday interview includes an ad from the group PreBorn, seeking donations. It includes the story of a woman who tried to order an abortion pill but it never arrived B次元官网网址渂y GodB次元官网网址檚 designB次元官网网址� and the group ultimately convinced her to give birth.

B次元官网网址淭he Conservatives and Jordan Peterson are coming for womenB次元官网网址檚 rights,B次元官网网址� NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said in a post on X that focused on the advertisement but said nothing about the interview itself.

The Liberal party similarly posted about Poilievre going on B次元官网网址渁 podcast sponsored by an anti-abortion group.B次元官网网址�

The interview itself, abortion did not come up.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 3, 2025.

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press