Pierre Poilievre - Definition

Pierre Poilievre (born June 3, 1979 in Calgary, Alberta) is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He is currently a member of the Canadian House of Commons, having been elected for the riding of Nepean—Carleton in the federal election of 2004. Poilievre is a member of the Conservative Party, and is currently the youngest member of parliament.

Poilievre has a degree in Commerce from the University of Calgary, and was a frequent participant in campus debating forums while attending university. He was the recipient of several awards at Model United Nations Conferences.

Before entering politics, Poilievre was the owner and operator of 3D Contact Inc., a communications and market research firm. He has also worked for Magna International as a communications specialist, and has done public relations work in Toronto. Prior to own his election, Poilievre also did policy work for Canadian Alliance MPs Stockwell Day and Jason Kenney.

In 1999, Poilievre contributed an essay on public policy to the book At Stake.

He won the Conservative Nepean--Carleton nomination in 2004, after provincial MPP John Baird decided not to run. In a closely watched race, Poilievre defeated Liberal cabinet minister David Pratt by almost 4000 votes, or about 5.5% of the total. The Liberals won a minority government in the election, and Poilievre sits as an opposition MP.

Poilievre has often criticized national student organizations as being too left-wing, and not representative of the country's larger student body.