OTTAWA — Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre tried to keep his campaign focused on policy announcements and not U.S. tariffs Friday, as he wrapped up the first week of the election on the West Coast.
In an event along the waterfront in Nanaimo, B.C., Poilievre announced an expansion of his previously published tough-on-crime platform, pledging to impose life sentences for what he calls large-scale instances of human trafficking, smuggling large numbers of guns or trafficking fentanyl.
But with the morning phone call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Mark Carney garnering much of the national campaign narrative Friday, Poilievre did make a nod to it at the start of his speech.
“Like all Canadians, I hope they had a successful talk,” he said. “I look forward to hearing about the results that they achieved in that conversation for Canadians.”
“But regardless of what was said, what is now clear is that it was a mistake over the last ‘lost Liberal decade’ to weaken our economy and become more dependent on the Americans.”
Trump’s social media post after the call with Carney described the conversation as “extremely productive.” He referred to Carney as the prime minister and there was no jab about making Canada the 51st state.
Trump later said in the White House that many countries have apologized for taking advantage of the U.S. “I think things are going to work out very well between Canada and the United States,” he said.
Asked about the apparent shift in Trump’s tone at a press conference in Nanaimo, B.C., Poilievre said: “Let’s hope there is a change in tone. We want to put an end to this crazy tariff chaos.”
Carney, who interrupted his campaign as Liberal leader for the last two days to deal with Trump’s auto sector tariffs, said after the call that Canada and the U.S. will begin negotiations for a “new economic and security relationship” after the election.
Poilievre repeated his claim that Trump “wants the Liberals to win.” Trump told Fox News recently that he didn’t care who won the Canadian election but he thought it would be easier to deal with a Liberal government.
“Canadians, and not the president of the United States, will decide who will be their government. That is democracy,” Poilievre said in French.
Most of Poilievre’s day was focused on his crime platform, including promises to reform bail practices, citing cases that he said show the justice system is not stringent enough to stop repeat offenders.
Poilievre said a Conservative government would impose life sentences for people found guilty of five or more counts of human trafficking, or of importing or exporting 10 or more illegal firearms.
The Conservatives are also pledging to change human trafficking laws “so prosecutors do not have to prove that traffickers used fear or exploitation.”
Poilievre argued in a video posted on social media that Canada has a “revolving-door justice system.”
The same mandatory life sentences would apply to “fentanyl trafficking on a large scale.”
In an announcement in February, Poilievre said people who are convicted of trafficking more than 40 milligrams of pure fentanyl would be given mandatory life sentences. People convicted of trafficking or producing between 20 and 40 mg would be sentenced to a mandatory 15 years in prison.
The Conservative leader said in a campaign video that he wants to “ensure these monsters rot in jail forever.” He has repeatedly likened fentanyl trafficking to mass murder.
Poilievre said he would repeal changes made to the Criminal Code and the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act in 2022 that ended some mandatory minimum sentences and allowed for conditional sentences or diversion programs for simple possession convictions.
In a 2016 decision, the Supreme Court of Canada struck down a number of mandatory minimum penalties in the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, after ruling they were unconstitutional.
He claimed in February that he would not need to use the notwithstanding clause to make such changes.
By Sarah Ritchie and Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 28, 2025.
