Is Pierre Poilievre a pit bull or a golden retriever? We asked Canadians what they think of the Conservative leader — and here’s what they said

 

OTTAWA — Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has a political reputation as a pit bull.

He, on the other hand, thinks of himself as a golden retriever: “friendly, affable, able to get along with anyone but ready for a fight if one comes looking for you,” he told a reporter in B.C. in July.

Now, a new project by the Star and Abacus Data has set out to measure what voters make of Poilievre at a time when his party is surging in popular support and dominating in fundraising — two signs that with him at the helm, the Conservatives could be on the march towards their first victory since 2015.

The results suggest he’s well-liked by those who think they know him well — but more Canadians feel they don’t, and the impressions they have of him at this point signal challenges ahead.

The research comes at what the Conservatives hope will be a turning point in that respect: the launch of a multimillion-dollar advertising campaign to better position him as an alternative to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

https://www.thestar.com/politics/federal/is-pierre-poilievre-a-pit-bull-or-a-golden-retriever-we-asked-canadians-what-they/article_4b36e1a5-83d0-5db4-8ca8-caaae2e5879c.html