Poilievre catches heat from opponents for talk of 'biological clocks'

John Paul Tasker · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 01, 2025 3:29 PM EDT | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is facing disapproval for saying excessively galore young radical can't bargain affordable homes earlier their "biological clocks" person tally out — a remark he's made successful the past, but 1 that's igniting online pushback present arsenic helium faces much scrutiny successful this predetermination campaign.

The remark has besides drawn disapproval from the Liberals and NDP, who accidental that benignant of connection is outdated and demeaning toward women successful particular, fixed the sensitivities astir fertility issues.

Poilievre's supporters accidental the outrage is governmental correctness tally amok, and reason he's highlighting a existent concern: Some couples are starting families aboriginal oregon having less children than they privation due to the fact that of the precocious outgo of living, a assertion backed up by Statistics Canada data.

Poilievre referred to biological clocks during a quality league Monday arsenic helium was defending his campaign's determination to focus on affordability issues specified arsenic housing, adjacent arsenic the state stares down U.S. President Donald Trump and the tariffs threat.

Speaking to reporters astir what helium calls the mislaid Liberal decennary with runaway lodging costs, Poilievre said helium volition basal up for the "36-year-old mates whose biologic timepiece is moving retired faster than they tin spend to bargain a location and person kids."

WATCH: Poilievre talks astir couples and 'biological clocks':

It's a riff connected what helium said past week astatine a rally successful Stoney Creek, Ont., erstwhile helium lamented that immoderate millennials are "desperate to bargain a location and commencement a household earlier the biologic timepiece runs retired successful your mid-30s."

In December, Poilievre said helium feels for the "39-year-old woman, hopeless to person kids but incapable to bargain a location successful which to rise them, her biologic clock running out."

In a pre-campaign interrogation with world Jordan Peterson, Poilievre besides referred to aging women and their biologic clocks, and the contented of lodging affordability.

The word "biological clock" and immoderate speech of it "running out" is mostly utilized to notation to a woman's declining fertility owed to a simplification successful ovum prime and quantity arsenic she grows older.

'Our biologic clocks are nary of your business'

Liberal campaigner Yvan Baker said the Conservative person is "using a woman's fertility arsenic a punchline successful a governmental attack," calling it "outdated and harmful rhetoric."

Julie Dzerowicz, different Liberal contender, said successful a societal media post: "Our biologic clocks are nary of your business."

Speaking to reporters successful Winnipeg astatine Liberal Leader Mark Carney's run halt Tuesday, campaigner Ginette Lavack said Polievre's comments are "completely unacceptable."

"These are not comments that should beryllium made by anyone. A idiosyncratic should person the close to take the timing of erstwhile they'll marque those beingness decisions. It's not a remark oregon a speech to person publically similar that," Lavack said.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh was blunt erstwhile asked astir the remark: "I don't deliberation immoderate pistillate wants to perceive Pierre Poilievre talking astir their body."

A spokesperson for Poilievre, Katy Merrifield, said the leader was "clearly referencing couples who privation to person kids."

"Anyone trying to twist this into thing arguable is ignoring the existent situation young couples who privation kids are faced with — holding disconnected due to the fact that each dollar is going to rent and groceries due to the fact that of skyrocketing costs incurred aft 10 years of failed Liberal policies. This isn't hypothetical. It's existent beingness — and Pierre is speaking straight to it," Merrifield said.

The partisan pushback comes arsenic polls amusement Poilievre does person a occupation connecting with women, particularly younger ones.

A caller Angus Reid Institute (ARI) canvass recovered Poilievre has the enactment of conscionable 27 per cent of women respondents ages 18 to 34. That's little than the 50 per cent who accidental they're going for Liberal Leader Mark Carney's party.

About 73 per cent of younger women who responded to that poll said they person an unfavourable sentiment of the Conservative person oregon don't cognize capable astir him to measurement in.

"The timepiece and the unit is connected the Conservatives to effort and marque inroads with women," said Shachi Kurl, president of ARI.

Comments being 'torqued': Conservative strategist

But immoderate Conservative women accidental Poilievre is close connected the larger contented of fertility and housing: The surge successful lodging costs implicit the past decennary — location prices person efficaciously doubled successful that clip — has made it much hard to settee down, bargain an affordable location and commencement a household earlier hitting a definite age.

Kate Harrison, a Conservative strategist, said Poilievre's comments are being "torqued successful a way, mostly by men, that is very, precise uncomfortable and detached from the world that a batch of women are facing."

"If you deliberation that it is misogynistic to accidental that women and couples woody with the challenges of a biologic timepiece due to the fact that they cannot spend housing, I would truly promote you to spell speech to much millennial women, due to the fact that this is simply a reality," she said successful an interrogation with CBC News.

Statistics Canada has information showing in 2022, 38 per cent of young adults ages 20 to 29 didn't deliberation they could spend to person a kid successful the adjacent 3 years, and 32 per cent did not judge they would person entree to suitable lodging to commencement a household successful that aforesaid period.

"The rising outgo of surviving is forcing immoderate to marque large sacrifices," StatsCan said successful its report. "Between disruptions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, arsenic good arsenic precocious ostentation and involvement rates, this radical has faced disproportionate challenges to their prime of life."

There's besides immoderate probe from Cardus, a religiously focused think-tank, that suggests Canadian women are having less children than they truly want.

A tendency to person much money, wanting to absorption connected a career, lacking a suitable spouse and grappling with lodging costs are among the reasons cited by immoderate women for not having much children, Cardus researchers recovered successful the 2023 study connected the topic.

Harrison said the Liberals are trying to "tweak this into immoderate faux outrage astir termination oregon reproductive rights — that is disconnected from world and the worst benignant of divisive politics."

"Poilievre is giving dependable to a precise existent concern," she said.