10 Qs with Andrew Lawton about his new Pierre Poilievre biography
10 Qs with Andrew Lawton about his new Pierre Poilievre biography
An interview with the best-selling author about the next Prime Minister, banned books, going viral on X and media gatekeepers
Andrew Lawton is getting antsy. His new book is set for release in a few days. But the subject of that book—Pierre Poilievre—keeps making news. There is so much more he could write.
I interviewed the journalist (and my friend) about his new biography, which is available May 28.
I asked Andrew if the feisty Poilievre is an outlier or the new political norm in Canada, why independent journalism is important, becoming a best-selling author despite being banned from bookstores, and more.
10 Qs with Andrew Lawton
Andrew Kooman: Your new book Pierre Poilievre: A Political Life is already a #1 bestseller and it hasn't been released yet. If pre-sales and the polls are an indication, you couldn't have timed this book any better than its May 28 release. How did this book come to be and why does it matter now?
Andrew Lawton: You're probably right that it's well-timed, but I confess I've been getting antsy. I sent the manuscript off to the publisher in early January, and even through the editing process I had to make changes based on news happening – the problem with writing about a contemporary figure rather than an historical one. That being said, the book is incredibly relevant now, with Pierre Poilievre poised to be the country's next prime minister if current polling holds.
I started writing the book when it was clear there would be a battle between the Conservatives and the Liberals (and the media) on how to define Poilievre. To his supporters, he's a principled, feisty champion of common sense conservatism; to his critics, he's the very worst stereotype of the right.
While he is well-known in political circles, there is a lot that Canadians don't know about him. I was personally interested in better understanding who is he and how the Poilievre people see how [he] came to be. I was also interested in how he's situated in Canada's conservative movement. He is the first Conservative leader in nearly four decades (since Preston Manning, I'd argue) who can be credited with leading a movement more than just a party. He is a unique figure who has had incredible political success in recent years and is on track to do what his two predecessors have failed to do in dethroning Justin Trudeau.
How much access did you have to Mr. Poilievre as you wrote and what did the research process look like?
Poilievre did not agree to an interview for the book, unfortunately. But I was able to speak on the record and on background with dozens of current and former friends, colleagues, and associates to get a comprehensive picture on who he is and how he's perceived by those around him. One of the people I spoke to was Jenni Byrne, Poilievre's longtime friend, adviser and former romantic partner, who has known him for basically the entirety of his political life. Interviews were incredibly helpful, but I also combed through what proved to be an extensive public record Poilievre has left behind even going back to his adolescence through newspaper clippings and other media archives. He's been a member of Parliament for 20 years, which also meant I had two decades of Hansards and House of Commons records available, which I made use of.
I've had relatively good access to Poilievre through my show, on which he's appeared several times since becoming Conservative leader and throughout the 2022 leadership race. I did interview him once in that context while I was writing the book.
What challenges did you face as you wrote about a living subject so visible in the public eye, one who is making headlines daily: how did you choose the scope of the book's content?
I touched on this in my first answer – it was a challenge. This is the first biography of Pierre Poilievre, so my instinct was to make it as comprehensive as possible and leave details in that might not be the most interesting if they aren't known or reported elsewhere. Of course, this is what editors are for. When the book gets up to the present time – Poilievre's ongoing leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada and his preparations for the next election – it was tough to balance the desire to be thorough with not getting bogged down by transient details. My approach was to think of whether a particular detail or development would be relevant to someone picking up the book in five years, or whether it was particularly revealing of Poilievre's character or approach to politics.
One example of this was Poilievre staking a firm position on the protection of single-sex spaces with regard to transgender people. It was during the editing phase that he made these comments, but it neutralized a claim in the book that he had been hesitant to wade into the issue. When I wrote it, it was accurate. Fortunately we were able to update that section before going to press.
I think that most Canadians still can't quite pronounce his name and don't know much about the man. What is something that surprised you about Pierre Poilievre as you researched and wrote that you think will surprise readers?
It's PAW-lee-EV, for those who care. One thing that stood out to me was how consistent he's been throughout his entire adult life on politics. That isn't to say he hasn't evolved or changed in several ways, but on core convictions he remains the same. In the introduction, I contrast an essay he wrote when he was twenty about what he'd do as prime minister with what he said when he launched his campaign to lead the Conservatives in 2022. The messages and even the language were eerily similar.
On a more amusing note, I learned how much of a penchant he has for practical jokes. The book has some fun examples.
Poilievre has the ability to cut through the noise, especially on social media. He seems to say the quiet part out loud in a way many other politicians in Canada and the non-US Western world haven't been able to (Exhibit A: The apple-eating interview ). Do you see him as an outlier in the Canadian landscape, or is he a signal of a new wave of politicians?
It's too early to say whether he's an outlier or the new normal, but I think he's certainly a game-changer. The instinct for Canadian Conservatives has historically been to apologize for being Conservative, to try to woo the media and win over the left. This hasn't worked, and this was as apparent as possible in the 2021 election when the Conservatives ran with a moderate leader and a moderate platform and failed to make any inroads. Poilievre's approach is an unapologetic one – which we just haven't seen in contemporary conservative politics in Canada. If the strategy works, I see it as being something we see more of in the future, but what's key here is the authenticity of it. Andrew Scheer and Erin O'Toole were seen as inauthentic in how they presented to Canadians and the media. Poilievre is who he is – if he were playing a character, I don't think it would be working out as well for him in the polls.
There's certainly a new wave of independent journalists in Canada both covering stories and telling them differently than legacy media. In your view, why is independent journalism important right now?
For years, legacy media outlets had monopoly on news and information. If you didn't see it in the newspaper or on a TV newscast, it didn't happen. And if you did, you assumed that was the whole story. While there is some variation between media outlets in how they tell stories, most legacy media journalists come from similar backgrounds and, in many cases, have similar perspectives. The rise of independent media has hugely disrupted this. People are telling more stories and telling them differently, and audiences can decide for themselves what they want. The risk of this is that people have silos and echo chambers, which is why I encourage everyone to maintain a varied media diet.
You spend much of your time on the other side of the interview, asking questions of leading thinkers and newsmakers. What does your media consumption look like, and how do you stay on top of current events so you can effectively engage your interview subjects?
I set myself up for this question without knowing you'd be asking it. I try to cast a wide net in what I read and consume. I want to know what the left and right are saying. I do a scan of almost all of the major national outlets each day. From time to time I like to look at random local media outlets across the country too as quite often there are stories of broader significance that just haven't escaped their communities yet. X (formerly Twitter) is an invaluable resource in getting a sense of what's happening in the world before anyone else has reported on it, too.
Your first book, The Freedom Convoy, was also very "of the moment." It was a #1 bestseller despite being shut out of Indigo, Canada's biggest bookstore chain. What was that experience like as an author? And, how big do you think the gap is between what readers want to read and what media gatekeepers like Indigo put on their shelves?
Writing The Freedom Convoy was an easier undertaking than this book because the event had already taken place. While some of the legal ramifications were (and still are) outstanding, there was a built-in beginning, middle, and end to the protest itself. That book came about because in my on-the-ground coverage of the convoy in Ottawa, I saw such a significant gap between what was happening on the ground and what I was observing with my own eyes. I also saw a depth and complexity to the story that other journalists didn't seem to grasp. That that book sold so well is, I think, proof of the point you've raised, which is that ordinary people and their sensibilities simply aren't served by the gatekeepers on discourse. It wasn't just Indigo that blacklisted the book – so did legacy media outlets. No interviews, no reviews, no coverage at all, except for one National Post article about Indigo's ban. But as the bestseller status showed, none of that mattered.
Social media has created a whole new breed of armchair critics—a fascinating mix of hot takes, cheap shots, footage we'd otherwise never see and voices we might never have heard. As someone who breaks news on platforms like X and participates professionally in political punditry, what advice do you have for individuals weighing into the discourse in these times?
Lean into the medium. X has given a great opportunity for sharing multiple forms of content, embracing the immediacy of the internet, and connecting with people around the world. The flip side of that is that it's easy to chase clicks and engagement at the expense of nuance, caution and truth if someone isn't grounded in those things. So my advice to anyone would be to not lose yourself in it. After being on the receiving end of the social media mob some years back I made a point of trying to approach social media with a basic humanity. I have missed out on some viral tweets by being kind I'm sure, but I'm not too worried about it.
What project or endeavour do you plan to pursue next?
Right now my focus is on launching Pierre Poilievre: A Political Life and tending to my editorial role at True North and my podcast.
Bonus Q: What books or podcasts are you consuming right now that you just can't get enough of?
With everything happening in Israel right now, I have started re-reading Bernard Lewis' The Middle East: A Brief History of the Last 2,000 Years, which I first read about a decade ago but am finding just as much – if not more – relevance in now.
About : Andrew Lawton is a bestselling author, broadcaster and journalist. Currently, he is the managing editor of True North, where he hosts The Andrew Lawton Show. In 2022, he wrote the #1 Globe and Mail bestseller The Freedom Convoy: The Inside Story of Three Weeks that Shook the World (Sutherland House). His second book, Pierre Poilievre: A Political Life (Sutherland House), is slated for release in May 2024.
Until 2018, Andrew hosted a daily show on Global News Radio and wrote a national column for Global News.
His written work has been published across the world, including in the Washington Post, the National Post, the Toronto Sun, the Edmonton Sun, and Global News. Andrew has appeared as a commentator on CBC, CTV, TVO, CTS, and on BBC World.
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Thanks for the opportunity, Andrew - this was fun!