Poilievre says Canadians deserve a right to defend themselves

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has reaffirmed his stance on Canadians’ right to self-defence following a home invasion case in Lindsay, Ontario, that ignited a national debate.

Source: X

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has reaffirmed his stance on Canadians’ right to self-defence following a home invasion case in Lindsay, Ontario, that ignited a national debate.

During a press conference in Ottawa where Poilievre blasted Carney for failing to deliver on campaign promises as Canada dropped another round of counter-tariffs without receiving anything in return, Poilievre restated his position on the ongoing case.

“Crime is raging to such a point where people are now demanding the ability to defend themselves in their own homes, because they know the law will not defend them,” Poilievre said “And rightly, Canadians believe that they need to defend themselves if an intruder who is probably out on bail for the 100th time under Liberal laws comes into the house, and frankly, they should have the right to defend themselves and their property against an intruder.”

Jeremy McDonald, 44, was charged after defending himself from a home intruder at 3 a.m. Monday. The incident has sparked debate about Canada’s self-defence laws, attracting attention from conservative premiers such as Alberta’s Danielle Smith and Ontario’s Doug Ford, who have publicly defended the right to self-defence during home invasions.

Canadian law allows individuals to use “reasonable force” to defend themselves and their property under sections 34 and 35, requiring any defensive action to be proportionate to the threat. The charges mentioned are not convictions, and all case information is yet to be determined in court.

On Thursday, Poilievre posted on X, stating that Canadians deserve the right to self-defence.

Asked to clarify his stance on “castle doctrine” or “stand your ground” laws, Poilievre affirmed Canadians should have the right to do “whatever is necessary” to defend themselves in a home invasion.

“The law needs to be clear that if someone comes into your house uninvited to steal your property or harm your family, you need to do what is you need to be able to do whatever is necessary to stop them,” Poilievre said. “And my message to the criminal thugs who are invading the homes of Canadians in unprecedented numbers because of liberal laws is that you should be in serious danger if you go into someone’s house illegally and try to harm them.”

“If you don’t want to be harmed, then don’t invade someone’s house and don’t threaten their security. The law needs to be very clear that people have the right to defend their homes and their families against law breakers.”