Who is Pierre Poilievre, the Canadian conservative aiming to end Liberal era?

At 20 years old, Pierre Poilievre already had a roadmap for Canada.

Canada's Conservative Party leader - now 45 - laid out a low-tax, small government vision for the country in an essay contest on what he would do as prime minister.

"A dollar left in the hands of consumers and investors is more productive than a dollar spent by a politician," he stated.

Poilievre is now one step closer to making his vision a reality, and even gave a nod to the essay in a recent interview with conservative psychologist and commentator Jordan Peterson.

For Canadians frustrated with a sluggish economy and a housing and affordability crisis, Poilievre has promised a return to "common sense politics", and offered an alternative to what he labelled as former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's "authoritarian socialism".

He now finds himself facing a different political foe, new Liberal leader and Prime Minister Mark Carney.

While Poilievre's Conservatives have enjoyed a large lead over the struggling Trudeau Liberals in national surveys for months, support for the Liberals has shot up following Trudeau's resignation.

Now the outcome of the general election anyone's guess.

Still, Poilievre's message is being heard in large pockets of Canadian society. A win would make him part of a wave of populist leaders on the right who have toppled incumbent governments in the west.

Critics have painted him as a sort of Donald Trump "light" - a parallel that has become a liability amid Trump's trade war and musings about a "51st state".

Poilievre has sought to distance himself from the US president, positioning himself as a "tough guy" who can take on Trump.

A Calgarian with his eyes set on Ottawa

Poilievre was born in Canada's western province of Alberta to a 16-year-old mother who put him up for adoption. He was taken in by two school teachers, who raised him in suburban Calgary.

"I have always believed that it is voluntary generosity among family and community that are the greatest social safety net that we can ever have," he told Maclean's Magazine in 2022, reflecting on his early life.

"That's kind of my starting point."

As a teenager, Poilievre showed an early interest in politics, and canvassed for local conservatives.

Poilievre was studying international relations at the University of Calgary when he met Stockwell Day, who served as a cabinet minister under former Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

At the time, Day was seeking the leadership of the Canadian Alliance - a right-wing party with Alberta roots that became part of the modern-day Conservatives in a 2003 merger - and he tapped Poilievre to help with campus outreach.

"He impressed me from the start," Day told the BBC in an interview. "He seemed to be a level-headed guy, but full of energy and able to catch people's attention."

Day's leadership bid was successful, and he set out for Ottawa with Poilievre as his assistant. Some time after, Poilievre walked into his office on a cold winter night to ask his opinion about potentially running for office.

Poilievre went on to win a seat in Ottawa in 2004 at the age of 25, making him one of the youngest elected Conservatives at the time. He has held that seat since.

Pierre Poilievre with his wife, Anaida, have two young children

From "Skippy" to party leader

In Ottawa, Poilievre was given the nickname Skippy by peers and foes alike due to to his youthful enthusiasm and sharp tongue.

He built a reputation for being "highly combative and partisan", said Randy Besco, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Toronto.

Behind the closed doors of Conservative caucus meetings, Poilievre showed his diplomatic side, Day said.

"Pierre was always good at saying, 'Okay, you know what? I hadn't thought of that,' or he would listen and say: 'Have you thought of this?'" said Day.

Still, confrontational politics became a cornerstone of Poilievre's public persona. After becoming Conservative leader in 2022, he would target Trudeau with biting remarks as a way to connect with disaffected voters.

It has landed him in trouble at times. In April, he was expelled from the House of Commons for calling the former prime minister a "wacko".

Poilievre told the Montreal Gazette in June that he is a fan of "straight talk".

"I think when politesse is in conflict with the truth, I choose the truth," he said. "I think we've been too polite for too long with our political class."

His combative style has also been divisive, and he has been criticised for oversimplifying complex issues for political gain.

While Canadians have been open to the opposition leader's message as a change from Trudeau's brand of progressive politics, just under half of them hold an unfavourable opinion of him, according to a recent poll.

Poilievre has also had to shift his sights since Trudeau's resignation to get ahead of the inevitable match-up between him and Carney.

Poilievre on populism, immigration and Trump

The Conservative leader has been described as a "soft" populist for his direct appeals to everyday Canadians and criticism of establishment elites, including corporate Canada.

It has been pointed out as a weakness by his critics, as the bulk of Canadians have become angry and frustrated with another well-known, nearby populist - Donald Trump.

Canadians priorities have shifted since the Trump administration launched a trade war against Canada, with the relationship between the two countries now the top of mind for voters.

It has forced Poilievre, who had not stepped much into foreign policy prior, to pivot. He has since pushed back at Trump's comments suggesting Canada become a 51st US state, vowing to "put Canada first".

"While Canadians are slow to anger and quick to forgive, once provoked, we fight back. And we will fight back," Poilievre has said in an address directed at Trump.

Trump has disparaged the Conservative leader in response, telling the UK magazine The Spectator that he is not "MAGA enough." In an interview with Fox News, Trump said that Poilievre is "stupidly no friend of mine".

On domestic issues, Poilievre has pledged to deliver "the biggest crackdown on crime in Canadian history", promising to keep repeat offenders behind bars.

He also came out in support of those who protested vaccine mandates during the 2021 "Freedom Convoy" demonstrations that gridlocked Ottawa for weeks.

On social matters, he has rarely weighed in - something Prof Besco said is typical of senior Conservatives, who see these topics as "a losing issue".

While Poilievre voted against legalising gay marriage in the early 2000s, he has recently said it will remain legal "full stop" if he is elected.

The Conservatives also do not support legislation to regulate abortion, though they allow MPs to vote freely on the issue.

"I would lead a small government that minds its own business," Poilievre said in June.

Poilievre has promised Canadians a return to "common sense politics" and "small government"

Amid a public debate in Canada in recent months on immigration, the Conservative party has said it would tie levels of newcomers to the number of new homes built, and focus on bringing in skilled workers.

Poilievre's wife, Anaida, arrived in Canada as a child refugee from Caracas, Venezuela.

The Conservative leader has pushed for the integration of newcomers, saying Canada does not need to be a "hyphenated society".

One of his major promises - to cut Trudeau's national carbon pricing programme, arguing it is a financial burden for families - has raised questions over how his government would tackle pressing issues like climate change.

Liberal leader Carney scrapped the unpopular consumer carbon tax this month, shortly after being sworn in.

Above all, Poilievre has said that he wants to do away with "grandiosity" and "utopian wokesim" that he believes has defined the Trudeau era, in favour of the "the things that are grand and great about the common people".

"I've been saying precisely the same thing this entire time," he told Mr Peterson.