'He changed the political conversation': Pierre Poilievre voted CP's Newsmaker of the Year

An anxious electorate, a new look and a bite out of Liberal polling numbers have all boosted the profile of Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, who was picked by editors across the country as The Canadian Press 2023 Newsmaker of the Year.

An anxious electorate, a new look and a bite out of Liberal polling numbers have all boosted the profile of Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, who was picked by editors across the country as The Canadian Press 2023 Newsmaker of the Year.

"He changed the political conversation, and boy did he reap the benefits," Rob Roberts, editor-in-chief at the National Post, wrote in his response to the survey.

"He's the clear favourite to be the next prime minister."

There were 97 votes cast in the annual survey by The Canadian Press, with about 26 per cent of participants from various media outlets across the country choosing Poilievre as this year's newsmaker.

Newly elected Manitoba NDP Premier Wab Kinew, who is the first provincial premier in Canada to be from a First Nation, tied for second place with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at 14 per cent of the vote.

Poilievre, 44, was elected leader with a whopping first-ballot victory in September 2022, unifying the party and its caucus in a way not seen since Stephen Harper became the first leader of the modern Conservative Party of Canada, then prime minister for nearly 10 years.

The official Opposition leader now heads into 2024 after months of rising support in the polls, while Trudeau and his Liberals have been trailing. The governing party has been scrambling to catch up with the Conservatives' effective messaging -- and the social media savvy of their leader -- on housing and the cost-of-living crisis felt by Canadians.