FREDERICTON — Many of Pierre Poilievre’s East Coast supporters say U.S. President Donald Trump isn’t much on their minds, as some Conservatives call on him to sharpen his focus on the U.S. president’s trade war with Canada.
The Conservative leader held a campaign rally in Fredericton on Monday night where he told the 2,000-plus people in attendance about his plans for the economy and outlined recent policy announcements.
Poilievre spoke of ways to bolster Canada’s economy to make it less reliant on American trade. But many of his supporters said the relationship with Canada’s most important trading partner is a non-issue for them.
The Canadian Press spoke with 10 Conservative supporters as they exited the rally. Not one cited the relationship with the U.S. as their number 1 election issue. One person said it had become an issue — but only in terms of how Trump’s rhetoric is affecting the campaign.
“At first it was a non-issue because I thought (Trump) was just trolling Justin Trudeau,” said Richard Blair. “But it kind of seems like Trump is leaning towards wanting to (annex Canada). And maybe he’s still trolling, but I think what he’s doing is affecting our elections.”
Blair said Trump is driving some voters toward Liberal Leader Mark Carney.
“That, I find, is troublesome and I think Pierre and Trump need to have a conversation behind closed doors and be like, ‘Can you back off for a month or two,‘” he said.
Seniors Chris Armstrong and Gus Hanrahan said their biggest campaign issue is the elimination of carbon pricing.
“(Trump) is just gaslighting. He wants some kind of deal, and that’s what he’s gaslighting for,” Armstrong said.
“The Americans are never going to walk into here. They’ll never hold their head up anywhere in the rest of the world ever again.”
“Non-issue with me,” added fellow senior Brent Charters.
“I could care less one way or the other, to be honest with you. We might be better off being American.”
Bethany MacDonald, who drove two hours from Sackville, N.B., to hear Poilievre speak, said her biggest concern is the state of the economy. While she acknowledged the relationship with the U.S. is “an issue,” she said it isn’t something she particularly needs to hear Poilievre address.
“I feel Pierre is powerful enough to handle that. He can negotiate where needed and everything, so I have more faith in him than Carney,” she said.
MacDonald cited Poilievre’s plans to eliminate safe-injection sites and refocus those resources on addiction treatment and recovery.
“The fentanyl issue, that was the main issue for putting the tariffs on in the first place,” she said. ”So if we can reduce that issue, then that should … strengthen the borders.”
Reflecting on Poilievre’s speech, supporter Ken Brien said the Tory leader has “honed in” his message.
“He’s kept it clear, the taxes, the building homes, the crimes. So he’s definitely got a clear message,” Brien said, adding his ballot box issues are taxes, the economy and jobs.
“I think Trump gets all the oxygen because he’s a big talker, but he’s also unpredictable. And you can’t just jump on everything Trump says. But as (Poilievre) says, if the economy is good, the economy is strong. That’s the way to go.”
Former New Brunswick premier Blaine Higgs was one of several Progressive Conservative provincial politicians who attended the rally Monday night.
He said Poilievre’s best approach is to keep hammering on the Liberal record.
“I think he has to continue to remind people, how did we get here. How did we become such a vulnerable nation, and how does this strengthening that (Poilievre) has been proposing all along, how does it address the issues of the tariffs,” Higgs said.
The Canadian Press also spoke with several Conservative candidates running in New Brunswick and asked what they’re hearing while out door-knocking.
“Affordability is huge. Dealing with the threat from the United States, the economic threat, that’s a real problem,” said Fredericton-Oromocto candidate Brian Macdonald, a former MLA with the Progressive Conservatives in New Brunswick.
“Those are the big ones. Affordability is number 1, then Trump and the American issue is number two.”
“Change, affordability, crime, pipeline,” said incumbent Conservative MP John Williamson, adding his party has a good plan to combat tariffs.
He said he watched Poilievre’s news conferences in Ottawa a couple of weeks ago and last week, after Trump imposed auto tariffs, and thinks compared to Carney, Poilievre was “more focused, more detailed and more realistic.”
A recent Leger poll, which surveyed 1,599 Canadians between March 21 and 23, suggests Canadians are divided about what the key issue is in the federal election.
The poll, which was conducted online and can’t be assigned a margin of error, reported that 36 per cent of respondents said the key issue is which leader would be best at dealing with Trump and aggressive U.S. trade actions.
Another 33 per cent said the key question is who is best suited to change Canada’s direction and improve the lives of Canadians.
The survey suggests Liberals are much more likely to focus on who can deal with Trump and tariffs, at 59 per cent. On the other hand, only 15 per cent of Conservatives said that was the biggest issue.
Similarly, 56 per cent of Conservatives said the most important question is who is best to change the direction Canada has taken over the past four to five years and improve life for Canadians, while only 15 per cent of Liberals chose that as the key issue.
Twenty-five per cent of Liberals and Conservatives said the key question is who is best to strengthen and grow Canada’s economy.
“The biggest thing at the ballot box is cost of living is still number 1, and then the younger generation worry about being able to get a home,” said Conservative MP Richard Bragdon, who represents Tobique — Mactaquac.
“Those types of cost-of-living things are really top of mind. And obviously there’s concern, they want to make sure Canada becomes more self-reliant.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 1, 2025.
Nick Murray, The Canadian Press
