The federal Conservative Party’s campaign manager isn’t worried about polls indicating that the Liberals have a significant lead over the Tories – while Pierre Poilievre mentions he’s working on expanding his image without changing who he is.
“Polls are polls, and they do what polls do,” Steve Outhouse said in an interview on Rosemary Barton Live that aired Sunday morning. “What you need to do, if you’re talking about the long game, is to not worry about them on a day-to-day basis.”
In recent weeks, several national pollsters – including Leger, Abacus Data and Nanos Research – have reported the Liberals leading the Conservatives by at least 10 points.
Outhouse told guest host David Common that the Conservatives aim to address the issues Canadians care about most, particularly the cost of living.
“Yes, there are distractions that come up daily that people will talk about, but if they’re not able to feed their families or find housing, those are things that will matter,” he said.
WATCH | Pollsters weigh in on PM Carney’s big lead:
Carney far ahead in polls 1 year after becoming PM: pollsters weigh in
Approval of the federal government has reached new highs since Prime Minister Mark Carney took office one year ago. David Coletto from Abacus Data and Sébastien Dallaire from Leger join Power & Politics to discuss government favourability amid economic and geopolitical tensions
The Tory campaign manager also referenced his experiences running provincial campaigns in Alberta and Newfoundland and Labrador, where he helped UCP’s Danielle Smith and Progressive Conservatives’ Tony Wakeham come from behind for wins.
“Going into that led our opponents there actually to get quite complacent, so we just have to keep charting our course and talking to Canadians every day – focusing on issues that matter to them, that’s the long game,” Outhouse said.
In January 2025, federal Liberals were behind the Conservatives by 20 points until they made a remarkable comeback with Mark Carney leading – showing how quickly political fortunes can shift.
On Wednesday, Abacus Data CEO David Coletto stated on CBC’s Power & Politics that Carney and his Liberal government have “created an environment where people are generally happy” and feel confident they’re being guided through various issues like the U. S. trade war.
However, Coletto mentioned he’s not seeing signs in his polling indicating a decline in Canadians’ willingness to vote Conservative – nor are more people turning against Poilievre.
“To put it simply, it feels like [Carney’s] got game and Canadians are responding positively to him rather than being pushed towards him because they don’t like other options,” he said.
(Frank Franklin II/The Associated Press)
“We want to be the party of hard-working young individuals who aspire towards achieving their Canadian dream. And I think that’s part of our goal as we head into the next election,” Poilievre said.
Lately though, Conservative leader has shifted gears internationally by visiting London, Germany and the United States. At the same time he’s worked on increasing visibility through more media interviews – including one with Texas-based podcaster Joe Rogan.
Outhouse noted after taking over as Conservative campaign manager; people “indicated quite clearly they want to see more sides of Pierre Poilievre.”
“Mr. Rogan does have a large listenership here in Canada; I believe a conversational format allowed Pierre Poilievre opportunities showing different aspects of himself,” Outhouse explained.
Poislievre shared with Gura he wants Canadians “to see all I can bring as prime minister. Sometimes you must be aggressive or prosecutorial while at other times you need reflective strategies.”
“So it’s about broadening my range instead of changing who I am which I’ll never do,” Poilievre concluded.
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Carney far ahead in polls 1 year after becoming PM: pollsters weigh in
Approval of the federal government has reached new highs since Prime Minister Mark Carney took office one year ago. David Coletto from Abacus Data and Sébastien Dallaire from Leger join Power & Politics to discuss government favourability amid economic and geopolitical tensions
The Tory campaign manager also referenced his experiences running provincial campaigns in Alberta and Newfoundland and Labrador, where he helped UCP’s Danielle Smith and Progressive Conservatives’ Tony Wakeham come from behind for wins.
“Going into that led our opponents there actually to get quite complacent, so we just have to keep charting our course and talking to Canadians every day – focusing on issues that matter to them, that’s the long game,” Outhouse said.
In January 2025, federal Liberals were behind the Conservatives by 20 points until they made a remarkable comeback with Mark Carney leading – showing how quickly political fortunes can shift.
On Wednesday, Abacus Data CEO David Coletto stated on CBC’s Power & Politics that Carney and his Liberal government have “created an environment where people are generally happy” and feel confident they’re being guided through various issues like the U. S. trade war.
However, Coletto mentioned he’s not seeing signs in his polling indicating a decline in Canadians’ willingness to vote Conservative – nor are more people turning against Poilievre.
“To put it simply, it feels like [Carney’s] got game and Canadians are responding positively to him rather than being pushed towards him because they don’t like other options,” he said.
Poilievre broadening his image
Like Outhouse, Poilievre states he’s staying focused on affordability for Canadians. “I’m going to continue to be absolutely monomaniacally obsessed with affordability, no matter what,” Poilievre said in an interview on Bloomberg This Weekend that aired Saturday. “We got a record number of votes in Canada’s big cities but need even more,” he told host David Gura while explaining that tackling affordability issues along with safety and housing concerns is key for reaching more voters.(Frank Franklin II/The Associated Press)
“We want to be the party of hard-working young individuals who aspire towards achieving their Canadian dream. And I think that’s part of our goal as we head into the next election,” Poilievre said.
Lately though, Conservative leader has shifted gears internationally by visiting London, Germany and the United States. At the same time he’s worked on increasing visibility through more media interviews – including one with Texas-based podcaster Joe Rogan.
Outhouse noted after taking over as Conservative campaign manager; people “indicated quite clearly they want to see more sides of Pierre Poilievre.”
“Mr. Rogan does have a large listenership here in Canada; I believe a conversational format allowed Pierre Poilievre opportunities showing different aspects of himself,” Outhouse explained.Poislievre shared with Gura he wants Canadians “to see all I can bring as prime minister. Sometimes you must be aggressive or prosecutorial while at other times you need reflective strategies.”
“So it’s about broadening my range instead of changing who I am which I’ll never do,” Poilievre concluded.
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