Poilievre says Carney’s Liberals are ‘counterfeit’ Conservatives

Leader of the Conservative Party Pierre Poilievre speaks in the Foyer of the House of Commons on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby (Spencer Colby)

OTTAWA — Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government is practising “counterfeit Conservatism.”

Poilievre says while Carney likes to copy his ideas — ending the consumer carbon price, for example — his government won’t do what it says it will.

Carney is widely seen to be moving the Liberals to the political centre after years of more centre-left policies under former prime minister Justin Trudeau.

Steven Guilbeault, who was Trudeau’s environment minister, recently quit Carney’s cabinet over what he calls the dismantling of climate policies he helped introduce.

In a year-end interview with The Canadian Press, Poilievre says the challenge for his party is to show the Liberals aren’t actually following through on what they promise.

Carney did not make himself available for a year-end interview.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 15, 2025.

Sarah Ritchie, The Canadian Press