Poilievre Says US Action in Iran, Venezuela Part of Strategy to Counter China

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says U.S. military intervention in Venezuela and Iran is part of a broader strategy to counter China’s reach around the globe.

Poilievre said Canada must decide how it fits into the American strategy and suggested strengthening ties with its southern neighbour for Canada’s economic and security benefit. He made the comments during a March 4 appearance on the Triggernometry podcast while visiting the UK.

“The United States does not want satellites of Beijing in Latin America in particular, as we saw with the decision to oust [Venezuelan leader Nicolás] Maduro and with the aggressive economic approach against Cuba, and as I think we’re seeing with Iran,” Poilievre told podcast hosts Konstantin Kisin and Francis Foster.

“They’ve made the decision that they’re not going to have … these countries that are ultimately in the China sphere of power encroaching on America’s security or sovereignty.”

U.S. forces captured Maduro in an operation in early January and then launched joint military strikes with Israel against Iran’s ruling regime on Feb. 28. U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the goal is to destroy Iran’s missile capability and navy and to prevent the country from obtaining nuclear weapons.

U.S. President Donald Trump has also increased pressure on Cuba’s ruling communist regime via tariff threats on countries that ship oil to the island nation, and he recently said the United States may have “a friendly takeover of Cuba.”

China has significant economic and security engagements with Iran, Venezuela, and Cuba. Beijing and Tehran signed a 25-year comprehensive strategic cooperation agreement in March 2021 covering political, strategic, and economic collaboration. China has also provided tens of billions of dollars in loans and investments in Venezuela’s energy and infrastructure sectors, receiving oil shipments as partial repayment. These countries have been sources of oil for China, especially under long-term contracts and oil-for-finance arrangements.

Poilievre said he believes past U.S. calculations that it could “trade freely” with China have given way to the “sudden” realization that Beijing has become “a very powerful rival.”

He said Washington “looked around and saw that their entire industrial base had been hollowed out,” concluding that the United States had become “increasingly dependent on a country that was, at best, a serious rival, and at worst, a serious threat.”

China joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001 with the backing of the United States. A 2018 study by the Economic Policy Institute found that between 2001 and 2017, the United States lost 3.4 million jobs as a result of China’s acceptance into the WTO.

Poilievre is currently on his first international trip abroad as Conservative leader. The trip has taken him to the UK and Germany where he has met with officials and business leaders and delivered several addresses. He has repeatedly emphasized his belief that Ottawa should accelerate permitting and project approval and lessen regulatory requirements in order to stimulate Canada’s economy and improve housing affordability and military capability.

Canada’s Choice

Amid the U.S. pushback against Chinese global reach, Poilievre said Ottawa has a choice as to “how we fit into that.” He said the best option for Canada is to become more prosperous and powerful in order to then become a more indispensable ally for Washington.

“My view is that we have the ability to make the North American continent a lot safer and more secure and more prosperous for all the countries if we take advantage of the leverage that we have,” Poilievre said.

“Then we will have a lot more leverage to get what we want, which, again, is unbridled, tariff-free access to the most lucrative market in the world, that being the U.S.”

During the interview, Poilievre also criticized the United States targeting Canada with tariffs, saying Canada “is actually a part of the solution” that the United States is seeking.

“We have the resources, the minerals, and the geography to help make the entire continent safer,” he said.

‘Net-Zero Fraud’

Poilievre said Canada must become a more meritocratic and economically free society that reduces bureaucracy and the size of government.

He also criticized what he called “massive government redistribution schemes” that he said are holding Canada back from its potential.

“Whether you’re talking about the net-zero fraud or massive government redistribution schemes, … it is all about concentrating power and money in the hands of fewer and fewer people,” he said.

Military, Trade

In addition to his comments that Canada should build up its military presence in the Arctic, Poilievre said Ottawa should avoid talk of a “rupture” with Washington. He also said the decision to pursue a strategic partnership with Beijing is “not on,” a British colloquialism meaning not the right decision.

“The idea that we can have a permanent rupture with our closest neighbour and biggest customer in favour of a strategic partnership for a new world order with China is not on,” Poilievre said, adding that Canada sells 20 times more of its products to the United States than to China.

Prime Minister Mark Carney had signed an agreement in principle with China in January, agreeing to slash tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles from 100 percent to 6.1 percent for up to 49,000 vehicles in the first year. In return, China agreed to lift retaliatory tariffs on Canadian agricultural and seafood products.

Carney’s January China trip also resulted in the signing of various memoranda of understanding agreeing to closer cooperation with Beijing on trade, public safety, agriculture, energy, and tourism.

While in China, Carney said that he was seeking a strategic partnership with that country and that this “sets us up well for the new world order.”

Amid criticism from Washington over Canada’s closer ties with China, Carney said he is not pursuing a free-trade deal with Beijing and is simply working to “rectify some issues that have developed in the last couple of years.”