OTTAWA — Weeks after the 2025 federal election, Nick Belanger was on the phone when he started receiving calls from an unknown caller. Poilievre called to check on him, Belanger says at one point, as he was feeling dejected by the party’s recent election loss. “He agreed, by the way.”The rise of political influencers has marked a new era in Canadian politics. Dimitri Soudas, once a communications director for former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper, said he would not lump this new brand of conservative influencers into the same basket when it comes to the question of engagement. As one of the few women hustling in conservative influencer world, Laine says her audience includes younger women and often receives direct messages from them.

Source: National Post February 14, 2026 09:41 UTC