Did Trump endorse the Liberals?

This article is part of the Reality Check series by Canada's National Observer. Have a question for us? Reach out at [email protected].

First, a quick snapshot of how we’re defining our terms. 

Claims that get the “true” label are either verified by available evidence, or have no credible evidence that calls the claim into question. 

Claims we label false are, well, the opposite: The claim either has no truth to it, or what was once true has been twisted enough that it’s no longer supported. 

When we say a claim is misleading, we mean the claim has a grain of truth to it, but it’s been taken out of context or twisted in a way that would be hard to consider “true” in the way it’s described. 

We recognize that fact-checking is an imperfect art. Our goal is to provide you with the claim, the supporting or undercutting evidence, and make a determination as to how we think it should be understood. Disagree? Let us know. 

For today’s Fact Check, let’s start with some big numbers. 

Claim 1: The Century Initiative

Origin: Conservatives

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says his chief rival, Liberal Leader Mark Carney, supports the Century Initiative, a registered charity that has a goal of seeing Canada’s population reach 100 million people by 2100.

Carney recently appointed Mark Wiseman, the board chair of the Century Initiative, to his advisory council on Canada-US Relations.  

Poilievre claims this shows that Carney supports the initiative and its goals for population and immigration growth. He calls both Carney and Wiseman “corporate elites” and says they are advocating for a “radical globalist ideology.” 

Verdict: Misleading

Carney did appoint Wiseman to his advisory council, but his team has stressed that Wiseman does not advise the Prime Minister on immigration. 

More importantly, Carney has said that current caps on immigration levels (395,000 permanent new residents for 2025, reduced to 365,000 by 2027) should remain in place, and that he has no plans to increase immigration until “we’ve expanded housing, we’ve reabsorbed the levels of immigration that have happened in our country.”

There is also a concern around rapid immigration from Bloc leader Yves-Francois Blanchet. Blanchet introduced a motion in 2023, asking the House to “reject the Century Initiative objectives” and to not let them influence future legislation. In the text of the motion, Blanchet says that “tripling Canada’s population has real impacts on the future of the French language,” as well as Quebec’s political weight, housing, First Nations’ rights, and other considerations. 

The Liberals shot down the bill, with the Bloc and the Conservatives voting in favour. The NDP voted alongside the Liberals, and it failed. 

Claim 2: Conservatives will cut dental care, childcare, workers' rights

Origin: NDP

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says the Conservatives will cut dental care, childcare, and workers' rights. 

On Wednesday, the NDP leader made a campaign stop in Winnipeg, and said Poilievre believes “you should weather a storm on your own,” and that he supports “cutting services that people need.”

Verdict: Misleading

When it comes to dental care and childcare, Poilievre has said he will “protect” the programs, and “nobody who has them will lose them.” He specifically said that “no one would lose their dental care.” He has not committed to expanding those programs, but he has talked about removing “red tape” around child care — though it’s unclear which regulations he would remove or change. 

When it comes to workers’ rights, things get a little stickier. Over a decade ago, as a Harper-era MP, Poilievre voted in favor of legislation like Bills C-377 and C-525, amending the labour code. He also voted to increase the eligibility age for Old Age Security. 

Today, however, Poilievre says his view has “evolved.”. He has pledged not to bring forward any anti-union legislation and he’s spoken publicly about supporting unionized workers. His campaign was also endorsed by at least two unions, Local 67 of Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters and the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers.

Poilievre is also endorsed by Merit Canada, a group representing non-unionized construction workers. In their endorsement, they praise Poilievre for his commitment to “turning around the national economy by cutting needless overregulation,” among other things. The 2023 CPC policy book lays out support for “right to work” legislation, which is usually anti-union. The policy goes on to say that this would allow for optional union membership, including in student unions.

The proposed legislation has been denounced by several unions, with CUPE calling a Conservative government a “disaster” for workers’ rights.

Claim 3: Donald Trump supports the Liberals.

Origin: Conservatives

At a press conference on March 28, Poilievre said, “Trump wants to keep the Liberals in power.”

Verdict: False

There is no evidence for this. On an episode of The Ingraham Angle, US President Donald Trump spoke with Laura Ingraham about Canada. When Ingraham proposed to Trump that a Liberal win could make the government more hostile to the US, Trump repeatedly said “I don’t care.” 

Trump said the Liberals might be “easier to deal with” but that Canada is a “nasty country” and that he ultimately doesn’t care who wins. He also called Poilievre “no friend of mine” and said he was “not a MAGA guy.” However, Trump’s right-hand Elon Musk has supported Poilievre, calling his speeches “perfectly articulated” and one, “a masterpiece.”  

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That’s it for this week’s Fact Check Friday. If you have questions, facts to check, or want to get in touch, you can find us at [email protected].