During the English-language leaders’ debate, Mark Carney claimed that Pierre Poilievre had called Canadians stupid. I assumed it was a bit of rhetorical inflation—something loosely paraphrased, maybe implied, not actual words. It sounded too blunt, too self-defeating, to be real.

Then, yesterday, I came across the now-viral billboard image bearing the quote: “It’s not the Americans’ fault. It’s our fault. We’re stupid.” The words were clear, attributed directly to Poilievre.

So I decided to see and hear for myself what he actually said—I went to the source. I pulled up the Jordan Peterson podcast episode and watched. And there it was. Not softened or qualified, delivered plainly. He really said it.

The remark—“It’s our fault. We’re stupid”—was made in the context of a broader lament about what he calls the “pathetic story” of Canada’s trade surplus. But even with that framing, the language Poilievre chose was startling in its contempt and self-righteousness. It wasn’t a policy critique—it was a crass, sweeping indictment, offered with a shrug and a smirk.

These words are more than just a gaffe. It’s a revealing window into the psychology and political ethos of a man who aspires to lead Canada, made particularly stark as we approach the climax of a federal election campaign. Leadership is always as much about humility, compassion, and decency as it is about confidence and certainty. Poilievre, in this moment, appears disturbingly deficient in the former and disproportionately endowed with the latter.

This election is not merely about policy; it is fundamentally about character and democratic ethos. Canada does not need a leader who sees its citizens as stupid or misguided, but rather one who respects their intelligence, listens with humility, and governs with compassion and decency.

Poilievre’s candid moment with Peterson has given voters a clear, unvarnished insight into his character.

It is now up to Canadians to decide whether arrogance and disdain are qualities they can trust or whether humility and compassion are essential foundations for true leadership.