Colin Miller

Last night, in a massive warehouse just outside Edmonton, something extraordinary happened. Fifteen thousand Canadians showed up—not for a concert, not for a protest, but for a political rally. For one reason: to hear Pierre Poilievre speak. But the real shock? The man who introduced him. Stephen Harper—the most successful Conservative prime minister in a generation—took the stage to deliver a blistering endorsement of Poilievre, and a scathing indictment of the Liberal regime. He didn’t mince words. Harper said what every Canadian knows but no one in the press gallery will admit: this country needs change—desperately. And he didn’t hedge. He didn’t qualify. He didn’t say “both parties have made mistakes.” No. Harper made it clear: this crisis—soaring costs, collapsing standards, vanishing jobs, growing division—it wasn’t created by Donald Trump. It was made right here. In Ottawa. By three terms of Liberal government and the Prime Minister who wants a fourth. “These were not created by Donald Trump… They were created by the policies of three Liberal terms—policies the present Prime Minister supported.” That’s as blunt as Harper gets. And it should be a headline on every newspaper in the country. But it won’t be. Because it hits too close to home for the elite class that’s spent nearly a decade covering for Trudeau’s failures. Harper pointed out that the Liberals and their media allies are now trying to blame everything on geopolitics. Blame Trump. Blame supply chains. Blame COVID. Blame war. Blame anything but themselves. Because the truth? They can’t run on their record—so they’re running from it. What is that record? Exploding debt Collapsing GDP per capita A federal bureaucracy that punishes work and rewards compliance A housing market that’s locked out an entire generation And an energy sector that’s been handed over to the Americans while Canadians sit unemployed on world-class resources And now, as Mark Carney floats in with his $180 million CBC top-up and another round of green buzzwords, Harper reminded everyone: they’ve had their shot. Three terms. And they blew it. He warned Canadians not to fall for the same routine again. Not to fall for the same slogans. Not to fall for the polished elites promising “solutions” to the very problems they created. He reminded Canadians that while the Liberals talk about “fighting Trump,” they’re really just using the U.S. as a scapegoat for their own failures. And what did Harper offer instead? A rallying cry to seize this moment—not as an excuse—but as an opportunity to rebuild a truly independent Canada. “The challenge from the United States… should not be another excuse for Liberal failure. It should be a historic opportunity.” But the line that hit hardest? It was personal. Harper reminded everyone that he’s the only person alive who actually led Canada through the global financial crisis. That little swipe at Mark Carney—you could feel the building rumble. Carney wants credit for crisis leadership? Harper was running the country when the global economy was imploding. He knows what real leadership looks like—and he said flatly that Pierre Poilievre is the only one on the stage today who’s shown it. Stephen Harper stood up and told the country what it needs to hear: Pierre Poilievre is ready to lead. Not because of branding. Not because he’s a “fresh face.” Not because some elite committee in Ottawa thinks it’s his turn. No—because he earned it. Harper laid it out plainly. Poilievre started in the back row. He built his career not on media hype or party privilege, but on policy work, persistence, and a rock-solid conservative vision. He wasn’t parachuted in. He wasn’t picked by insiders. He clawed his way up with substance. “Pierre is not new to this. He’s been on the national scene for more than two decades. He has been in cabinet. He has been in opposition. He’s a serious policy-maker. A leader who has grown through experience.” That’s what Stephen Harper said. And you could hear the crowd erupt when he said it. Because Canadians are desperate—desperate—for someone who doesn’t just play politics, but actually understands the fight. Someone who knows how Parliament works. Someone who has taken on the gatekeepers—and won. And Harper wasn’t just praising Poilievre’s résumé. He called him what the man actually is: an ideas-driven, battle-tested leader who has spent his entire career pushing back against the smug, bloated, bureaucratic class that now defines Ottawa. “Pierre has always been guided by conservative values… smaller government, fiscal responsibility, and making this country work for those who do the work.” Imagine that. A politician who talks about work—and means it. Harper could’ve stayed silent. He’s done the job. He’s earned his peace. But he stepped into that warehouse in Nisku for one reason: to make it clear that this is Pierre’s moment—and Canada can’t afford to miss it. “He is our leader. And he is the next Prime Minister of Canada.” That wasn’t hyperbole. That was a warning shot to the Liberal machine. A message to the Laurentian elite, the smug consultants, the CBC newsrooms, and every Davos-friendly banker currently circling Ottawa like vultures: your time is up. Stephen Harper didn’t back Pierre out of nostalgia. He backed him because he sees a real, competent, fearless leader—someone who knows that you don’t fix this country by managing the decline. You stop the decline. Pierre Poilievre isn’t Trudeau with a different haircut. He’s the anti-Trudeau. He’s not trying to be liked by the press gallery. He’s trying to restore the country. And if you want a Prime Minister who understands the value of work, who believes in the dignity of the individual, who will cut the red tape, slash the taxes, fire the gatekeepers, and take Canada back from the bureaucratic swamp—Harper made it clear: There is only one choice. Pierre Poilievre.