OTTAWA — Hundreds of people have filled a downtown Ottawa convention centre to hear Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre speak this afternoon.
About half an hour before the event was set to begin a small group of people was still standing outside after being turned away at the doors.
Inside, attendees who were asked to show up in red and white in honour of the Canadian flag's 60th anniversary gathered with signs bearing the Tories' "Canada First" slogan.
U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff threats and his repeated claims that he wants to annex Canada have prompted a sudden rise in Canadian patriotism.
At the same time, the combination of Trump taking over the White House and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stepping down has led to a revival for the Liberals, with some polls putting them even with the Tories.
The Conservatives have been focusing their latest attacks on frontrunner Mark Carney.
In a new ad, the party says Carney is "just the man to help" Trump take Canadian jobs and says if Carney wins the Liberal leadership, "Canada loses."
The Liberals have released new attack ads focused on Trump and on another of Poilievre's slogans, which he used to repeat often, that "Canada is broken." Poilievre has recently swapped that message for the "Canada First" line.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 15, 2025.
Sarah Ritchie, The Canadian Press