Canada’s Conservative leader needs to make inroads with Trump. Is it too late?
In 2024, Canadian Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s early lead in the federal election collapsed after he ignored advice to engage with Donald Trump, leaving him politically isolated and costing him his parliamentary seat. Poilievre “has not forged the relationships required to become a ‘serious’ partner for any Republican administration,” a GOP operative said, adding, “He doesn’t have a relationship with the U.S., that’s the thing. The only thing people here know about Poilievre is that apple-crunching video and that he lost an election he should have won.” Observers noted that his absence from U.S. diplomacy mattered because Washington’s policies, especially on trade and tariffs, directly affected Canada’s economy, a gap that Prime Minister Mark Carney has since leveraged to strengthen Canada-U.S. ties
