David Aldersey says he has never been to a political rally before but felt compelled to show up at a Conservative event in the Greater Toronto Area because of what he says is at stake.
“I’ve been a small-c conservative, but I’ve just seen 10 years of bad decisions,” he said. “The Liberal party parachuted in Mark Carney and it’s another face on the same team.”
Aldersey is one of Pierre Poilievre’s supporters who showed up Tuesday night in Vaughan, Ont., to attend one of the Conservatives’ last rallies of the campaign.
But he worries the outcome may not be what he and others there want.
“I think a lot of the older generation want status quo and they’re a little afraid of the rhetoric they hear,” said Aldersey, who is part of that demographic. “I’m hoping that the polls are wrong.”
Tuesday’s rally was held in the riding of Vaughan-Woodbridge, currently held by Liberal Francesco Sorbara. It is the kind of suburban Toronto seat the Conservatives must win to form government, though several polls indicate that, so far, the Conservatives trail the Liberals in the Greater Toronto Area.
Canadians over 55 make up a crucial voting bloc with some of the highest voter turnout rates, and Ipsos polling shows they’re increasingly turning to Liberal Leader Mark Carney.
They rank the former central banker as the best federal leader to take on U.S. President Donald Trump and his tariffs against Canada, while Poilievre has faced criticism, including from senior Conservatives, that his campaign has been unable to pivot to address the trade war.
Pouya Ahmadi, a real estate agent from North York, thinks Poilievre is the best person to be the next prime minister but acknowledged the “excitement” around Carney.
“I’ve got to (give) credit where credit is due; Mr. Carney does have a great resume,” Ahmadi said.
Get daily National news
Get the day’s top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.
“But I do think that the polls might not be reflecting the whole truth.”
Another Conservative supporter, Pasquale Dorrico, does not want to see the Liberals win again.
“(Voters) are forgetting some of the past of what the current party had become,” he said on his way into the rally. “(Trudeau) is being replaced by his twin.”
Reporters could only interview attendees at the Vaughan event outside the rally. Conservative campaign staff have barred journalists from speaking to supporters inside events throughout the campaign. Reporters are confined to a media pen where they are prevented from mingling with supporters.
Global News has reached out to the Conservative party for comment but has not received a response.
Poilievre spoke to supporters in Vaughan hours after releasing his party’s platform on Tuesday.
“Today I laid out a detailed plan about how we’re going to fix our budget to stop inflation that’s eroding your purchasing power for food and housing,” Poilievre said.
“You’ve been pinching your pennies long enough. It’s time for government to start pinching its pennies,” he said, a pledge that was met with cheers.
Throughout the campaign, Poilievre has tried to tie Carney to his predecessor — a strategy he replicated Tuesday.
“Did you hear about the platform Justin Trudeau released on Saturday?” Poilievre asked the crowd.
“It is not that Carney’s election platform is as bad as Trudeau’s, in fairness. It’s worse.”
Carney also attacked Poilievre’s platform after its release, saying it’s filled with “phantom numbers.”
“It really only confirms what we already knew, that Pierre Poilievre has no plan, no plan, to stand up to President Trump,” Carney said Wednesday at an announcement in Trois-Rivières, Que.
“He wants to cut what Canada needs. With our plan, we will build to make Canada strong.”
Vaughan resident Adrienne Winthrop says she has voted Liberal in the past but is sold on Poilievre’s focus on affordability and approach to foreign policy.
Winthrop says Trump shouldn’t be sucking up so much oxygen this campaign.
“I know there’s a lot of talk about who can stand up to Trump, but that’s not the major issue,” Winthrop said. “There are so many issues (like) housing.”
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.