Pierre Poilievre is making waves on social media again, and some recent comments about Vancouver and Mexico have sparked quite the debate.
Poilievre was in Vancouver on June 19, when he held a press conference called “Your Home, Your Property.”
The conference was about the Cowichan Nation court decision.
At one point, Poilievre began talking about safety in Vancouver and shared an anecdote.
“I met a lady at the airport the other day, who told me that she moved from Vancouver to Mexico so that she would feel more safe,” he said.
After a brief pause, Poilievre said, “Let that sink in. She feels more safe in Mexico than in Vancouver.”
Poilievre: I met a lady at the airport the other day who told me that she moved from Vancouver to Mexico so that she would feel more safe. Let that sink in. She feels more safe in Mexico than in Vancouver.
(Mexico’s homicide rate is more than 13x higher than Vancouver’s) pic.twitter.com/QlSzsJwJ2t
— Scott Robertson (@sarobertson_) June 19, 2026
According to the Government of Canada, travellers headed to Mexico are advised to exercise a high degree of caution due to high levels of criminal activity and kidnapping. In addition, there’s an advisory to avoid non-essential travel to 14 different Mexican regions due to high levels of violence and organized crime.
Mexico is one of the 2026 FIFA World Cup hosts, and there are additional warnings for travel to Mexico if you’re travelling for the tournament.
Numbeo crowdsources data like the cost of living, housing prices, and quality of life metrics.
While Poilievre doesn’t specifically mention which city the woman he spoke to lives in, according to a crime comparison between Mexico City and Vancouver, Vancouver is significantly safer.
Numbeo
The debate
In response to one of many videos shared online that included Poilievre’s remarks, many doubted the veracity of his claims.
So, his fearmongering is working
— Kaiwei Feng（馮凱威） (@jhwfung) June 19, 2026
Some didn’t hold back.
“Look up horsesh*t in the dictionary and Poilievre’s picture is there,” one X user remarked.
There were also people who supported his comments.
“I just came back from 3 weeks in Puerto Vallarta and I agree with this assessment. Mexico is a much safer, cleaner country than Canada with zero homelessness and zero rampant drug abuse on the streets,” an X user responded, adding, “I’d choose Mexico over Canada every single time.”
There’s no data online to prove that there’s “zero homelessness” in Mexico.
Others didn’t believe that the conversation happened at all.
So she doesn’t love IN Canada anymore, she moved to Mexico… But she was at the Vancouver airport in the domestic flight area?
Sure.
— Gator⚡Gum (@gator_gum) June 20, 2026
Local drug advocate Guy Felicella also responded.
I met a lady at the airport who said she moved to Mexico because she likes tacos. Equally scientific.
— guyfelicella🇨🇦🍁 (@guyfelicella) June 20, 2026
Statistics show that Vancouver is actually among the safest cities involved in FIFA World Cup festivities, including in comparison to Mexico.
Poilievre is his name, misinformation is his game. pic.twitter.com/cSJsEA7pSr
— Bridget Girard (@bgirard_liberal) June 20, 2026