Canadian Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre sat down with popular podcaster Joe Rogan today to discuss topics such as Canada’s voluntary euthanasia laws, fitness, and U.S. tariffs.
Before the episode aired, Polvier said his main goal was to make the case for removing the tariffs imposed on Canada by President Donald Trump, which would benefit both countries.
“We need to tap into the goodwill of the American people, and what better place to do that than on the biggest podcast in the world,” Polvier said.
The episode was part of the Conservative opposition leader’s trip to the U.S. this week, which he is doing to boost his international profile, as he trails Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in the polls.
Polvier began the conversation by gifting Rogan a Canadian-made kettlebell engraved with a maple leaf.
They discussed their mutual passions for fitness and martial arts, then discussed Canadian politics and Polivier’s proposal to maintain free trade between Canada and the United States.
“We should lift tariffs, because as neighbors and partners we can do a lot together,” the Conservative leader said. Canada could help the United States deal with rising oil prices by selling more energy.
He added that easing tariffs on Canadian lumber and aluminum would help lower the cost of housing and trucks in the United States.
Asked if he had made these arguments directly to President Donald Trump, Polivier replied: “I believe in one prime minister at a time.”
He said Carney’s role is to negotiate for Canada, and he is in the United States to support him in that effort.
Rogan’s questions also touched on other aspects of Canadian politics, such as assisted dying laws, which Rogan criticized as too broad.
“In my opinion, people should have the right to decide,” Poliavar replied.
But he added that his party is interested in expanding the law to include people whose only condition is mental illness—a move that has been delayed twice by the Canadian government and is now scheduled to take effect in March 2027.
Poliavar is in the United States on his first official trip south of the border. The trip comes ahead of crucial talks that will determine the future of the free trade agreement between Canada, the United States and Mexico, which is scheduled for mandatory review this year.
Among his stops were Detroit, where he met with executives from automakers, and Texas, where he toured Canadian crude oil refineries for export and proposed increasing Canadian production by two million barrels a year.
He said Texas Governor Greg Abbott is interested in buying more Canadian products.
His final stop on the tour is New York City, where he will speak at the Foreign Policy Institute on Thursday evening.
Polivier’s appearance on Rogan’s podcast comes a year after he declined an invitation. At the time, Rogan said that Polivier declined to appear on the show because he thought it was “problematic.”
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Polivier denied the allegations and said he thought Rogan was “a wonderful person.”
At the event, the opposition leader clarified that he was unable to attend earlier due to a conflicting federal election campaign schedule.
Polivier recently visited the United Kingdom and Germany, where he met with government and business leaders and presented a new plan to build closer ties between Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.
Polivier’s international tour comes at a time when opinion polls show him trailing Prime Minister Carney in popularity.
Since taking office, Carney has made more than two dozen foreign trips, aiming to increase investment in Canada and double U.S. foreign trade over the next decade.