What to know
- Poilivre appeared on The Diary Of A CEO, his second podcast engagement in recent months.
- The leader of the opposition had previously appeared on The Joe Rogan Experience in an interview that spanned over two hours.
- Steven Bartlett, host of the podcast, asked Poilievre questions about his political ambitions and his family.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre appeared on yet another popular podcast, this time joining British entrepreneur and host Steven Bartlett on The Diary Of A CEO.
The leader of the Opposition had taken part in an even longer interview on The Joe Rogan Experience (The JRE) last month, where he and the host delved into everything from martial arts to the Canada-U.S. relationship.
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His appearance on The JRE had prompted mixed reactions from Canadians back home, some who criticized his associating himself with Rogan and others who respected his decision to do so.
Rogan is widely regarded as a right-leaning public figure for hosting interviewees like Elon Musk and Donald Trump, though his larger pool includes those from all across the political spectrum.
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Right off the bat, Bartlett expressed interest in what he says is Poilievre’s “truly fascinating formative childhood.”
The two took the conversation as meta as it could get
“The most appropriate thing to start with – because it’s just front of mind for me at the moment – is: What the hell is going on in the world?” Bartlett laughed.
To answer the question, Poilievre took it all the way back to the post-war era.
“The history starts really in the post-war period with a massive increase in the power and the wealth of the United States,” he explained.
Poilievre spoke at length about the evolution of the American economy. Sprinkled throughout that was the Canada-U.S. relationship, tariffs, and Trump’s annexation threat.
“Tariffing countries like Canada makes no sense. If you’re in the United States, you should want more friends, more trade with those friends,” he said, calling Trump’s approach “a very big strategic mistake.”
“I think America would be better off working with the traditional Western alliance that helped win the Cold War,” Poilievre added.
He’s referring to the bloc of capitalist, democratic nations – namely present-day NATO allies including Canada, United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Denmark, Italy, and Norway – that fought against the Soviet Union and other communist regimes.
Canada is the only country with a large oil reserve the United States can rely on: Poilievre
Bartlett had prepared a display of vials demonstrating the five largest oil reserves in the world: Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Canada, and Iraq in order of greatest to least.
“If you look at the leading five, which of these countries do you think the United States can most rely on?” Poilievre asked.
“Is it Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, Iran, or Iraq? No, it’s Canada.”
He had a message to Americans: If Canada and the U.S. were to work collaboratively, they will not be so easily impacted by geopolitical instabilities such as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
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The leader of the opposition suggested the two North American nations collaborate on a “fully tariff-free trade arrangement” that would the U.S. import Canadian steel, aluminum, lumber, and automobiles in exchange for subsidized oil prices.
“Oil is only one part of it,” Poilievre said, referring to the Great White North’s abundance in critical minerals that are “necessary for, god forbid, modern warfare.”
“We are a resource superpower,” Poilievre told Bartlett.
“I want to leverage that to get what we want from the U.S. and from other nations.”
Poilievre and Bartlett discuss the Iranian war
The two spoke about Iran’s threat to Western nations particularly in regards to its nuclear ambitions. Poilievre stood firm on his belief that the Iranian government should not be allowed to develop its nuclear capacities and that “any action to stop them from doing that is necessary for world peace.”
Poilievre drew a comparison between the Iranian regime and the dictatorship in North Korea, saying the Asian nation doesn’t have the “same celestial fundamentalist ideology” as the Middle Eastern nation.
“The regime in Tehran has a theocratic dream,” he said. “They don’t respond to deterrence the same way that Pyongyang in North Korea would.”
Poilievre stands firmly on his ‘one prime minister at a time’ stance
“There’s a quite significant probability that you could be Canada’s next leader,” Bartlett said.
When asked about his relationship with the U.S. President Donald Trump, Poilievre answered, “I made the decision that we have one prime minister at a time.”
“I don’t want our side as Canadians to be divided even though I obviously disagree with my prime minister on a whole range of policy issues. I don’t want to undermine, in any way, the Canadian side of the bargaining table,” he added.
Poilievre says he is focused on addressing policies on home soil
“Our approach vis-à-vis Trump should be to focus on what we can control,” Poilievre said.
By that he means “unlocking” Canada’s resources, building up a “strategic reserve” of critical minerals, “clear the way” for overseas exports, and become more “self-sufficient.”
“You keep using this word, ‘unlock’ … and ‘clear the way’,” Bartlett pointed out, asking for clarification on what the Conservative leader was referring to.
“Removing bureaucratic obstacles,” Poilievre responded.
According to Polievre, Canada’s wealth of natural resources are “massively profitable” for the private sector “as long as they can get the permits and the low-enough taxes to do it.”
The opposition leader had long criticized the Liberal government for maintaining bureaucratic obstacles for the development of the country’s resources, including oil.
Poilievre explains why he won’t criticize PM Carney on foreign soil
“You said you wouldn’t criticize the leader of the opposition unless you were in Canada,” Bartlett pointed out.
“But you know that you’re reaching everybody, everywhere, all the time.”
Speaking to Rogan last month in Texas, Poilievre had refused to criticize the prime minister on “foreign soil.”
“That’s true,” Poilievre laughed. He clarified that the political context was relevant to his decision, and that without the existing tension between Canada and the U.S., it would “be a little different.”
Poilievre opens up about his childhood
In the years he’d been in the public spotlight, Poilievre had shared his adoption story openly. This was brought up again in his chat with Bartlett, where he offered a little more insight into his childhood. Born to a teen mom, Poilievre was adopted by two school teachers.
“Kind of a complicated story,” Poilievre said.
He clarified that his biological mother, 16 at the time, put him up for adoption. He says she had another child three years later, who was also adopted by his adoptive parents.
Recounting his experience of meeting his half-brother for the first time at the age of three, Poilievre shared he thought babies came from stores when he was younger.
Poilievre says he didn’t want to meet his biological mother without his adoptive mother’s permission.
“She did all the work of raising me, all the hardships,” he explained.
“I did not want her to feel like she was going to be left behind or forgotten about or replaced.”
He told Bartlett that he met his adoptive mother in his early 20s with blessing from his adoptive mother, which he said he will never forget.
“It’s one of the most gracious things I’ve ever seen,” Poilievre said, fighting back tears.
Poilievre talks about meeting his biological mother for the first time
“I really came to understand her decision to put me up for adoption,” Poilievre said.
He says he’s never been resentful of it.
“She was 16. She just lost her mother to a heart attack,” he shared.
“She just made a selfless decision that we would have more opportunity if we were raised by someone else.”
Poilievre also shared that he has met his biological grandfather and his biological father who he says is “a very good man.”
Poilievre’s adoptive parents divorced when he was 12 years old
Bartlett opened up first about the divorce of his parents and how his parents breaking the news to him was “earthshattering” and “traumatizing.”
While Poilievre agreed with Bartlett on his personal anecdote also being “very traumatizing,” he said he was “very blessed” that his parents loved him and his brother.
Donald Poilievre – his adoptive father – is now openly gay. Poilievre says he is very close with him and his partner, Ross.
Bartlett shared his observation that Poilievre’s adoptive mother, Marlene Poilievre, seemed to be a positive influence in his life.
“When you speak of Marlene, you speak her up with a great fondness and expression in your face,” Bartlett pointed out.
“I’ve sat here six, seven hundred times, so you get to see who matters most to people in their lives just by looking at their face. And she’s clearly on the podium,” he explained.
Poilivre says his adoptive mother taught him about being “pugnacious and fighting for what you want and what you need in life,” describing her as “very feisty,” “very short,” and “very forceful.”
He also gave recognition to his wife, Anaida, who he says is “very strong, feisty, intelligent lady with an incredible upbringing.”
Born in Venezuela, Anaida came to Canada as a refugee in 1995 when she was eight years old.
Poilievre says he became interested in politics in his mid-teens
Poilievre says his family “lost everything” when he was a toddler.
“We got smashed by high interest rates,” he told Bartlett.
He says his admiration for the working-class folks in his neighbourhood has informed his political ambitions.
“My mission has been to bring back what I call, ‘The Promise of Canada’, that anyone can achieve anything,” he explained.
When he injured his back playing football, Poilievre says he attended “local Conservative meetings” along with his mother.
Poilievre delves into socialism vs. capitalism to kickstart discussing issues in Canada
Discussing the difference between socialism and capitalism paved the way for the Conservative Party leader and the podcast host to begin talking about the political issues Poilievre feels passionately about.
The two talked at length about his stance on the nationwide affordability crisis, its low birth rates, and its immigration policies – the typical talking points for a political leader.
“For roughly 200 years, we had the most successful immigration system in the world,” Poilievre said, referring to the points system.
He says issues in the country’s immigration system began in the current decade with a “very sudden and inexplicable increase in the numbers.”
“Now, everyone across the political spectrum agrees that it went too far, too fast,” he said.
The leader of the Opposition added that the “economic immigration of high-skilled people” has “always been successful.”
Poilievre and Bartlett continued their conversation with the threats facing Canada, the country’s stance on nuclear weapons development (which we do not have any), and the country’s national security.
“We’re kind of like a golden retriever,” Poilievre said. “We’re friendly, we’re likable, we like to get along. But if provoked, we will fight back.”
Poilievre looks ahead to the federal election in 2029
Poilievre – who has been the leader of the Conservative party since 2022 – says the party received “the biggest vote count” it had ever received and the “highest share of votes” since 1988.
“We did perform very well,” he said.
“Our opponents performed even better. Now we have to build on the solid base that we’ve accumulated in order to win the next election.”
Poilievre comments on ‘woke-ism’
“They used to say Liberals were the gas pedal, Conservatives were the break,” Poilievre told Bartlet. “But we were both heading in generally the same direction.”
Poilievre says woke-ism, ironically, is a “deeply illiberal ideology.” Traditional liberalism, he says, was a “colour-blind ideology” based on “total equality.”
Wokeism, according to the Canadian politician, is “exactly the opposite of that.”
“It’s like it accentuates all of those differences and disagreements,” he said.
Poilievre says the answer is equality.
“There has to be strict equality and equal treatment regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, religion,” he said, adding that he is focused on solving the problems that gives everyone equal opportunity to safety, affordability, and opportunity.
Poilievre speaks about his autistic daughter, Valentina
Poilievre says his seven-year-old daughter is non-verbal.
“And one of her superpowers she has is that whatever she does, she is 100 per cent,” the politician said. “She is also 100 per cent authentic.”
He went on to share that the protectiveness he feels for his daughter is the very same instinct that has reinforced his compassion for those “who can’t provide for themselves.”
“I think there’s a very real role for the government to help people who genuinely cannot provide for themselves,” he said.
“Too often, governments have seen people with disabilities as just someone they have to care for but not someone who can contribute. I believe that everybody has something to contribute and that we should try to unlock that in every human being.”
Poilievre delivers closing statement
Bartlett pointed to his global audience, before asking the Canadian politician for “one final message.”
“I’m actually optimistic about the future and I think Canada’s got a very bright future,” Poilievre responded, again pointing to the nation’s resources, diversity, and other strengths.
“The future belongs to Canada. We’re going to be an incredible place.”
The Diary Of A CEO has a running tradition of the podcast guest leaving a question for the next guest not knowing who that would be.
The question facing Poilievre: ‘What are you most afraid of and how do you deal with that fear?’ which Bartlett helped broaden by asking him what his fear for the country is.
“The biggest fear I have for Canada is that we just keep blocking our own potential and declining,” Poilievre answered. He says he fears Canadians become “the frog in the boiling water” – a trajectory he claims can change with some “big reversals.”
Bartlett thanked Poilievre for his candor.
“I feel like you answered my questions to the best of your ability,” the podcast host said, adding, “That’s not usually the case with politicians.”
