The promise of a secure future—with a good job, an affordable home and a sense of stability—once felt like a Canadian birthright. For many younger Canadians, that dream now seems like a delusion. Millennials and Gen Zers face a swarm of anxieties, including sky-high housing costs, a depressing job market, the difficulty of starting a family and a swirling culture war that they can’t opt out of. They’ve long been a reliable source of NDP and Labour votes, but a growing number are now finding resonance in Pierre Poilievre’s populism. They see his focus on cutting taxes, unleashing the private sector, tackling crime and prioritizing housing construction as pathways back to the future they feel has disappeared over the past decade. Here, in their own words, five young Canadians explain why they’re pinning their hopes on Poilievre.

International economics student at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver

I’m from Dawson Creek, a rural area in northern B.C. Most people there are conservative, so that’s how I picked up my values. My dad owns a small construction company, and I used to work with him over the summer. He always talked about how taxes were too high. As a business owner, the higher your taxes, the less you can pay your employees, and the less they have to spend. It’s bad for the economy as a whole.

Once I got older, I experienced the impact of taxes for myself. I have less to save for my future. The cost of living in Canada is way too high. We should be one of the most prosperous countries in the world. We have so many natural resources. The Conservatives want to reduce taxes, which will make life more affordable for young people like me. Canada also needs new housing policies. I’m in my first year at UBC, where I have guaranteed accommodations on campus. But next year, I’ll have to move into a shared place off-campus. I’ll probably be paying around $1,300 for a room in a house with six other guys. The Conservatives are planning to increase the housing supply by incentivizing municipalities with perks to increase new housing and reduced red tape to speed up permit approvals.

Instead of raising taxes, Poilievre wants to shrink government spending. I support that: we need to make cuts to social services to get rid of our ballooning deficit. I believe in Pierre’s dollar-for-dollar policy, where for every dollar of government spending, he’ll find one dollar of savings. That will reduce the deficit to lower the burden for my generation.

The Conservatives also support ending safe drug supply, which I believe will help with our opioid crisis. One day, when my friends and I were walking around Vancouver, we ended up on East Hastings, which is a rough part of town. It was horrible. There were drugs and needles everywhere, and it smelled like a sewer. People were selling stolen phones and electronics, presumably to buy more drugs or food. Getting rid of safe supply will push people to get better.

I love the Conservatives’ plan to cut the red tape for small businesses. I’m hoping to start a company with my friends in Vancouver after I graduate. I’m not sure what it’ll be, but I’d like it to help out Canadians. Reducing obstacles will inspire entrepreneurship and innovation. One day, I want to own a home and start a family. And I believe that, under Pierre’s leadership, that will finally be attainable.

Human rights student at Wilfrid Laurier University, Brantford, Ontario

A few years ago, I was on TikTok and came across a video of Pierre Poilievre talking about George Orwell’s 1984. He was drawing connections between the book and how the Liberal government has........

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