Federal Election 2025: Pierre Poilievre in Surrey​on March 28, 2025 at 1:00 pm

At a rally that at times had the atmosphere of a hockey game, Pierre Poilievre blamed the Liberal government for putting the country “under the American thumb” and promised to put working people first.

The Conservative leader began his 40-minute speech at a Surrey warehouse Thursday night with memories of a childhood camping trip in Penticton.

The story, which involved Jet Ski’s driven by “rich kids” who splashed the young Poilievre, elicited shouts from the crowd. Poilievre said his father was unsympathetic to his tears and told him that if he wanted to rent a Jet Ski, he’d have to get a job to pay for it.

“The lesson: If you want nice things in life, you have to work for them,” he said.

There was a strong turnout for the Conservative leader’s first B.C. rally, as thousands of people flocked to the Port Kells warehouse on the Surrey-Langley border.

According to the 338Canada website, several Surrey ridings are expected to be close, including South Surrey-White Rock, Cloverdale-Langley City and Langley Township-Fraser Heights, where Conservative incumbents are hoping to hold onto their seats. Surrey’s other three ridings are predicted to be Liberal “safe.”

Boisterous and damp from a spring rainstorm, many in the crowd waved small paper Canadian flags as country music by Dean Brody and Paul Brandt played over the loudspeakers. Poilievre was introduced by his wife, Anaida, who blamed the Liberal government for putting the country in a “vulnerable position.”

Poilievre doubled down on that theme, blaming “elites” for making life unaffordable for average, hard-working Canadians. He spoke about the “pioneers” who settled in Surrey and were followed by waves of immigrants, all of whom believed that if you worked hard, a “beautiful home on a safe street” was within reach. But that promise had withered, he said.

“Life has never been more expensive. Our streets have never been more dangerous. The economy has never been more vulnerable. We have never been so much under the American thumb.”

Poilievre’s message matched the concerns of many who came to see him speak.

The country has gone to “shambles” since the Liberals were elected, said Gurtej Bambrah, a Surrey realtor, who listed housing as one of his top concerns ahead of the election. “No one can afford to buy a home.”

Shelley Siebert said she liked the tax cuts Poilievre was offering, as well as his stance on immigration, Trump and support for working people.