The leader of Canada’s Conservative Party, Pierre Poilievre, pledged to deport foreigners who participate in what he called pro-Palestinian “hate marches,” in a move condemned by the country’s leading Muslim rights group.
Poilievre on the campaign trail Saturday vowed to deport foreigners from Canada for criminal hate-mongering, accusing pro-Palestinian protestors’ “hate marches” of contributing to a spike in anti-Semitism.
Poilievre was campaigning in an Ottawa electoral district contested by Liberal leader and Prime Minister Mark Carney, who this week drew the ire of his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu over remarks on the war in Gaza.
“We will bring in tougher laws to target vandalism, hate marches that break laws (and) violent attacks based on ethnicity and religion,” Poilievre told reporters.
“Anyone who is here on a visitor visa who carries out law-breaking will be deported from this country,” he added, words echoing messaging from the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, which has deported pro-Palestinian student protesters.
Poilievre has in the past sought to distance himself from Trump, whose economic attacks and threats to annex the United States’ northern neighbor have outraged the Canadian electorate.
The Canadian conservative decried pro-Palestinian protests, saying they were contributing to a worsening situation with regard to hate crimes.
Pro-Palestinian encampments at universities and marches that sprang up in response to Israel’s conduct of the war have been mostly peaceful, but police have in some cases charged protestors.
On Tuesday, Carney was heckled at a rally by a protester who shouted that Israel was perpetrating a genocide in Gaza.
Carney responded by highlighting Canada’s restrictions on some arms shipments to Israel, to which Netanyahu responded on X: “Instead of supporting Israel, a democracy fighting a just war with just means against the barbarians of Hamas, he attacks the only Jewish state.”
Carney later clarified that he did not hear, nor support, the Gaza genocide claim and called for “every effort to establish a cease-fire in Gaza.”
Meanwhile, the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) said it was deeply disturbed and disgusted by Poilievre’s pledges.
“We are concerned about the precedent put forward that those marching in protests for Palestinian human rights will be facing the same issues as Americans facing the Trump administration,” NCCM said.
The civil rights group said it could mean those on visitor visas and other temporary visas would be deported if they participate in “hate marches.”
“Needless to say, it is already the law in Canada, under IRPA, to deport non-Canadians who commit serious crimes. Mr. Poilievre’s pronouncement is thus technically redundant,” the group said.
The mention of the specific issue of “hate marches” is undefined, and members of the Conservative Party have characterized various rallies and protests calling for Palestinian human rights as “hate marches,” even as millions of Canadians have taken to the streets to call for human rights.
“Let’s be clear: this is not the time to import Trump’s ideas of deporting those he doesn’t agree with on Gaza,” said NCCM CEO Stephen Brown. “Mr. Poilievre needs to reject Trumpian policy ideas that put free speech at risk.”
Noting that at a time when the Trump administration poses a serious threat to Canadian sovereignty through annexation efforts and attempts to harm the Canadian economy with record-level tariffs, NCCM said it is deeply troubling for a Canadian federal leader to mimic a Trump-style approach just to gain extra votes.
“No one should be deported, jailed, or arrested for calling on Canada to uphold its commitment to international human rights. In such a critical moment, our leaders must defend Canadian values — not compromise them by copying a foreign leader for political advantage.”
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