Poilievre says Trump should avoid 'permanent quagmire' in Iran and focus on 'core objective'

Conservative Party of Canada leader Pierre Poilievre arrives to a press conference at a gas station in Ottawa April 2, 2026. Photo by Blair Gable /PostmediaArticle content

OTTAWA — Opposition Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says if he were in U.S. President Donald Trump’s shoes, he would focus the country’s efforts on ensuring Iran never develops nuclear weapons, “without getting involved in a permanent quagmire.”

Sign In or Create an Accountor View more offersArticle contentPoilievre gave his assessment of the unfolding U.S.-Israel war against the Iranian regime on his latest podcast appearance.

Article contentArticle contentArticle contentFilmed in Los Angeles during the Conservative leader’s first trip to the U.S. last month, Poilievre sat down with Steven Bartlett, who hosts The Diary of a CEO podcast, as part of a tour to discuss the Canada-U.S. relationship. The Conservative leader also appeared on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast on the trip.

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Subscribe NowSee all of our newslettersArticle contentHere are five takeaways from Poilievre’s latest podcast interview.

Article contentOn Iran, Trump will have to decide which of the former Bush presidents he wants to be, Poilievre says Article contentWhen it comes to the unfolding war in Iran, Poilievre said he believes that the “initial actions” taken by the U.S. and Israel, which launched strikes against Iran in late February, were necessary to prevent the regime from developing nuclear weapons.

Article contentPoilievre told the host that his position was consistent with that of Prime Minister Mark Carney, who offered support for that initial attack. The prime minister later clarified that he took that position “with regret,” and suggested that, on the surface, it did not appear that the actions by the U.S. and Israel were consistent with international law.

Article contentArticle contentSince then, Carney’s government has faced questions about what involvement Canada may play when it comes to trying to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which the Iranian regime has blocked. Carney has said that discussions with NATO allies were ongoing, but that any assistance would be predicated on a ceasefire.

Article contentOn Easter Sunday, Trump issued a warning for Iran to open the straight, a major shipping route for oil, by Tuesday or face attacks against its power plants and bridges.

Article contentFor his part, Poilievre told the podcast aired last Thursday, that he was not proposing to send Canadian troops into Iran.

Article content“I think any actions to degrade their nuclear capabilities prevent them from ever achieving them, is favourable, and I hope that it will weaken the regime enough for the people to overtake it and claim control of their country,” the Conservative leader said.

Article contentPoilievre said rejected the idea that Iran’s aggression has been triggered by the war. “They would have eventually carried it out,” he said of the regime. “The question is when and with what means, and if we had just sort of slept and waited, we would have ended up with a catastrophe.”

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Article contentHe then recalled the actions taken by former U.S. president George H.

W. Bush during the Gulf War, launched after Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait.

Article content“He declared victory and he moved on,” Poilievre said. “His son then went and pursued a full out-and-out regime change, and that was a much longer enterprise,” he said, referring to actions taken by former president George W. Bush.

Article content“(Trump) will have to decide which of those two bushes he uses as a model.”

Article contentShould Canada have nuclear weapons? Article contentAt one point, the hosts asked Poilievre whether Canada, which does not have any nuclear weapons, ought to.

Article content“I don’t see a need for that,” Poilievre said.

Article content“I don’t know what we would get from it. We don’t have any desire to to threaten anyone with nuclear weapons. So I don’t see a purpose for that right now.”

Article contentDealing with artificial intelligenceArticle contentWhen it comes to artificial intelligence and the impact it is having on global workforces, Poilievre said his thinking around the technology is governed by a set of principles.

Article contentArticle content“The public policy objective is to ensure that it becomes an enabler of humanity, not a replacement for it,” he said.

Article contentThe Conservative leader said he had “principles” that he would apply to the technology.

Article content“How do we make sure that the AI enables and empowers people to make more decisions for themselves and have more freedom and to pursue their own meaning.”

Article contentPoilievre added: “The other thing I would say is that as these technologies bring down costs, those savings should be passed on to people.”

Article contentCanada’s immigration issues different than U.S. Article contentAt another point in the discussion, Poilievre was asked about the political backlash in the U.S. and Europe against immigration.

Article contentHe argued that unlike in the U.S., Canada’s issues with its immigration system began in recent years.

Article content“It’s a different situation in the U.S.,” Poilievre said. “The immigration problem in the U.S. goes back many, many years, Many, many years of chaos at their the southern border. We didn’t have that in Canada.”

Article contentHe then reiterated his pitch to expedite foreign credential recognition for thousands of immigrants who came to Canada as professionals but cannot work in their chosen fields.

Article contentArticle contentWhen asked about the issue of birth rates, Poilievre told the host he sees the problem as a economic one, with Canadians in their mid-30s unable to afford homes, which delays their plans to have children.

Article contentPoilievre talks about meeting biological motherArticle contentPoilievre discussed on the podcast his experience of being adopted and raised by two parents in Calgary, along with his half-brother, Patrick, who shares the same biological mother.

Article contentThe Conservative leader said he met his biological mother in his early 20s, but only after asking his adoptive mother how she felt about him doing so.

Article content“I did not want her to feel like she was going to be left behind or forgotten about or replaced. And I asked her, you know, ‘would you be okay if I met her?’ And she said, ‘Yes, of course, because I won’t always be here, and I always want you to have a mother’,” Poilievre said.

Article content“I thought that was a really incredible thing to do, because … such a big part of a mother’s identity is that they are the mother of that child. But to have a love that’s so much deeper than that personal identity or interest is something I’ll always remember. It’s one of the most gracious things I’ve ever seen.” Article contentPoilievre has talked openly about being adopted.