Canada election: Ex-PM Stephen Harper endorses Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre

With both the Conservative and Liberal leaders’ rallies done, we're closing this page for tonight. As always, you can find more coverage at CBCNews.ca.

There's no question this was a big night for Poilievre.

It's not only the endorsement from Harper, one of Canada's longest-serving prime ministers, that was a big deal. It was also the fact that Harper actually went onstage with Poilievre.

Harper didn't just make a brief appearance; he introduced Poilievre with a speech nearly 10 minutes long. (You can watch the full remarks in the video above.)

The former prime minister has been selective with both his public appearances and with whom he chooses to endorse. For example, he endorsed Andrew Scheer's 2017 leadership bid for the Conservative Party but did not publicly campaign for him.

Despite keeping a low profile, Harper still wields influence in conservative circles and as chairman of the International Democrat Union, a global alliance of centre-right political parties.

The crowd was energetic and interactive, wanting to volley with him.

Much of the speech touched on themes we've heard before. A moment that did stand out to me was when he said the way to best take on Trump is to give Liberals a strong mandate — which to my ears means he's saying, “I need a majority.”

Not because we haven't heard it before, but because it elicited such a strong cheer in the room.

Another big winner was when he called health care a right.

He suggested tomorrow he'll have more to say about building new homes — a key issue in B.C. and across the country. Then we head to Calgary!

Before Carney took to the stage at his rally tonight, B.C. Liberal candidates including Wade Grant made some brief speeches.

Grant, the candidate for Vancouver Quadra and a member of the Musqueam Indian Band, brought up comments Poilievre made in 2008 about Indigenous people.

At the time, Poilievre was a young Conservative MP and then-prime minister Stephen Harper was about to deliver a formal apology to residential school survivors. Poilievre told an Ottawa radio station that former residential school students need a stronger work ethic, not more compensation dollars.

He apologized shortly afterwards, but Grant said the comments stayed with him.

As the candidates spend more time in B.C. and Alberta in the coming days, their record with Indigenous peoples could come under scrutiny.

Over the weekend, Carney was asked about his father being the principal of an Indian Day School in the Northwest Territories — which my colleague Brett Forester uncovered — saying he didn't share his father's views.

Earlier today, my colleague Samantha Schwientek wrote about Poilievre's record on Indigenous rights and his frequent admiration for John A. Macdonald.

They say that’s around 2,000 in the main room to hear Carney’s speech, with another 400 in an overflow room.

Meanwhile, In Richmond, B.C., Carney has focused his speech on familiar campaign messaging tonight.

What’s really riled up the crowd here is talk of Trump’s retaliatory tariffs — perhaps a sign of how angry Canadians are with the policy.

When Carney spoke of exacting maximum pain on the U.S., the crowd howled. When he spoke of the old Canada-U.S. relationship, the crowd cheered.

Poilievre and his wife, Anaida Poilievre, joined Harper on stage after the endorsement. The current Conservative leader had a big smile as he hyped up the crowd.

“Let’s show some gratitude for the greatest prime minister of the 21st century,” Poilievre said. “Prime minister, it is an incredible honour to have you here on this stage. It was a little surreal, I have to confess.”

Poilievre said Harper was “the best mentor” he could have asked for in his political career.

Harper said he worked with both Poilievre and Carney in his time as prime minister, including in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis.

"My choice without a shadow of a doubt is Poilievre," he said in his speech. "I have known him a quarter of a century. He worked hard, he fought and he learned. He has the political experience."

Harper called into question comments from Carney taking credit for navigating Canada through the financial crisis and recession.

Carney was governor of the Bank of Canada at the time and has namechecked that experience, as well as his time as governor of the Bank of England during Brexit, as proof of his ability to navigate crises.

"I say this as the guy who led Canada through the global financial crisis," he said. "I hear there was someone claiming it was him," Harper added, referring to Carney.

In another shot at the Liberals, Harper said the "bulk of the problems" affecting Canada weren't created by U.S. President Donald Trump, whose tariffs have overshadowed much of the election campaign, but that "they were created by Liberal policy."

Former prime minister Stephen Harper, as expected, has endorsed Poilievre.

Harper introduced Poilievre tonight near Edmonton at what appears to be one of the larger political rallies in Canadian history, according to Lisa's tally below.

This is Harper's first time back on a federal campaign trail since 2015, when he ultimately lost to Justin Trudeau. Harper had also supported Poilievre in his 2022 leadership bid. Poilievre was twice a minister in Harper's government.

“We will only get there with leadership, from a person who has an actual policy plan, from a person who has been right on all the big issues for a decade,” Harper told the crowd, per our colleague Lisa.

“From a person who has the energy and yes, the youth, to take us forward into a better, stronger and more united future. That person has been my colleague, my friend, our leader and the next prime minister of Canada — Pierre Poilievre.”

Taleeb Noormohamed, the Liberal candidate and incumbent for Vancouver Granville, is set to be at Carney's rally tonight in Richmond, B.C.

On X today, Noormohamed said he'd received the endorsement of Murray Rankin — a former NDP MP and MLA.

Rankin has held prominent roles in both federal and provincial government. Until last September, he was B.C.'s minister of Indigenous relations and reconciliation. He’s also a former chair of the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency.

In a statement, Rankin said he'd worked with Noormohamed in his time at the B.C. legislature.

"From national security to housing, Taleeb has worked collaboratively across the political spectrum," Rankin said.