OTTAWA — A longtime aide to former prime minister Stephen Harper is criticizing Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre for attacking the RCMP and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
In an interview with a YouTube channel called Northern Perspective, Poilievre called the RCMP’s leadership “despicable.” He also said that some of Trudeau’s past scandals “should have involved jail time.”
Dimitri Soudas, who once served as Harper’s communications director, responded in an opinion piece for the Toronto Star. He said Poilievre’s words show “recklessness” and a “leadership approach rooted in grievance rather than governance.”
“In a democracy built on the rule of law, no opposition leader should ever call for a prime minister—or any rival—to be jailed,” Soudas wrote. “It weakens trust in our justice system and the RCMP.”
Poilievre claimed that Trudeau “probably” broke the law during the SNC-Lavalin affair and that the RCMP “covered it up.” He also said Trudeau should have faced criminal charges over his 2016 vacation with the Aga Khan, which broke federal ethics rules.
A spokesperson for Poilievre defended him, saying the RCMP “accepted” that Trudeau withheld key witnesses and evidence during the SNC-Lavalin investigation. The spokesperson added that police “declined to pursue” charges over the Aga Khan trip.
When asked about Soudas’s criticism, Poilievre’s office did not comment directly. However, Anna Tomala, Harper’s current chief of staff, said Soudas “does not speak on behalf of Mr. Harper.”
Other former Harper insiders also weighed in. Kory Teneycke, Harper’s former communications director, said Poilievre’s remarks were “absurd” and “a political mistake.”
“I think it’s quite Trumpian in tone, which isn’t where Canadian voters are,” Teneycke said. “It feels like he’s falling back into old patterns that hurt him in the election.”
Poilievre lost his seat in the federal election earlier this year but returned to Parliament after winning a byelection. His leadership will face a review by party members in January.
Lori Turnbull, a political science professor at Dalhousie University, said Poilievre’s comments seem aimed at his core supporters before that vote.
“He’s trying to fire up the people who still distrust Trudeau and think the system is against them,” Turnbull said. “That might help him in the leadership review, but not with the broader public.”
She added, “He’s using his old playbook—but it’s a different game now.”
