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Pierre Poilievre urges conservatives to keep fighting in networking conference speech

  • Sarah Ritchie

  • Canadian Press

  • May 7, 2026

A Buffalo Sabres fan drinks beer from a hockey stick glass while watching Stanley Cup second-round playoff action against the Montreal Canadiens at Kully's Original Sports Bar in St. Catharines, on Wednesday, May 6, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nick Iwanyshyn

OTTAWA -- Pierre Poilievre urged conservatives to keep fighting for the country in a speech at a conference in Ottawa this afternoon.

The Tory leader spoke at the Canada Strong and Free Network, an event that's billed as the country's largest gathering of the conservative movement.

Poilievre told the crowd of about 500 people that the Conservatives have won the debate on every policy issue of the last decade and said Prime Minister Mark Carney hasn't changed anything in the last year since taking office.

He argued Ottawa is full of entrenched special interest groups defending the status quo and said Conservatives need to keep winning debates in opposition.

The conference is also scheduled to feature a fireside chat with former U.S. secretary of state Mike Pompeo this evening.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and the U.S. ambassador to Canada, Pete Hoekstra, are both set to speak on Friday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 7, 2026