Who is Pierre Poilievre, Canada’s Conservative leader?

For months, Pierre Poilievre had been riding high.

He had successfully tapped into public anxiety over an affordability crisis in Canada, his attacks against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had found a receptive audience, and his Conservative Party enjoyed a huge lead in the polls.But then Trudeau announced he was stepping down. The governing Liberal Party named a new leader. And Canadian politics shifted course, faced with threats of tariffs and annexation from United States President Donald Trump.

And just like that, Poilievre and the Tories saw their lead evaporate.

“The campaign that Poilievre thought he was going to run [has disappeared] out from under him,” said Lisa Young, a political science professor at the University of Calgary.

With Canadians heading into April 28 elections, experts said Poilievre now faces a tight race when once he was the frontrunner.

Surveys suggest Canadians are questioning whether the Conservative Party leader has what it takes to confront the US president.