Canada's Liberals can no longer deny it. Pierre Poilievre, the fiery Conservative leader set on burning Justin Trudeau's signature achievements to the ground, is the favorite to win the country's next election.

Poilievre's party has vaulted ahead in the polls by harnessing post-pandemic anxiety — high inflation, rising interest rates, and the runaway cost of home ownership in Canada. He fills hotel ballrooms and banquet halls with rowdy crowds, even during a summer season when most voters tend to tune out touring politicians.

Polls suggest he's now more personally popular than the third-term Trudeau — and by some measures, it's not even close.

The 44-year-old Poilievre is not as unpredictable as Donald Trump, and he's not fighting culture wars with the vigor of Ron DeSantis. Instead, Poilievre is refashioning his own brand of conservatism.

He occasionally nods to world-government conspiracy theorists by mocking the "globalist Davos elites" who run the World Economic Forum. He is open to Conservative MPs introducing anti-abortion bills, but promises they won't become law if he's prime minister.

He espouses traditional conservative disdain for government spending and regulation, and woos moderates with one-liner policies. For every dollar of new federal spending, Poilievre would require equivalent cuts somewhere else. He favors drug treatment programs over decriminalization. He wants to export more fossil fuels, but also embraces renewable energy.