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Lich and Barber, who were found guilty on mischief charges in May, are up for sentencing this week. Prosecutors are seeking prison terms of seven years for Lich and eight years for Barber.

Prior to this week, Poilievre had remained silent on the topic; then, he and several Conservative MPs issued eyebrow-raising statements attacking the Crown, insinuating a double-standard in the administration of justice and alluding to some nefarious political agenda.

“Let’s get this straight,� Poilievre . “While rampant violent offenders are released hours after their most recent charges … the Crown wants seven years prison time for the charge of mischief for Lich and Barber. How is this justice?�

Poilievre, who campaigned on the slogan “jail, not bail,� also shared an article that accuses the Crown of seeking “revenge and retribution� and warns that stiff jail sentences would “throw the administration of justice into disrepute.�

That message was echoed by Poilievre’s deputy leader, , who claimed the Crown was motivated by “political vengeance� and added, “it’s why trust in our institutions is dwindling.�

Other Conservative MPs shared similar messages. “This Liberal government treats actual real criminals better than this,� said . “Murder a grandmother, no problem, exploit children, no problem.�

Sound familiar? It’s not hard to hear echoes of that other political leader who likes to accuse prosecutors of engaging in “political witch hunts.� U.S. President Donald Trump’s conspiratorial rhetoric — which has included describing election deniers and convicted January 6 insurrectionists as “� and “� — is no doubt one reason why .

And it’s why this rhetoric from Poilievre’s Conservatives is not only wrong but also profoundly dangerous.

To be clear: Lich and Barber broke the law. They’re convicted criminals, not . And insinuating without a shred of evidence that the Crown is persecuting them in pursuit of a secret political agenda rather than simply enforcing the laws on the books is to wander down a rabbit hole and into a world of pure conspiracy.

But what’s most remarkable about these statements is that they were issued just one day after far-right influencers and activists began calling out Poilievre on social media over his silence on Lich and Barber.

“Pierre Poilievre used the Freedom Convoy to springboard his own leadership,� said . “He is now silent on the show trial and sentencing.�

“Pierre won the leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada based on the support of the movement that was unleashed by Tamara and Chris,� added right-wing activist . “The fact that he will say nothing to defend them shows he is unworthy to lead anything, let alone a country.�

Parker is the lead organizer of , a third-party group that was instrumental in pushing out former premier Jason Kenney during his party leadership review in 2022 and later helped to replace Kenney with Alberta’s current premier, Danielle Smith.

Put simply, Poilievre looks as if he’s frightened of his own base. This dynamic is key to understanding why he keeps pandering to this constituency even when it comes at the cost of hurting his party’s chances among mainstream voters or, evidently, undermining trust in our institutions.

Poilievre’s leadership is set to face multiple tests in the coming months. First, he needs to rack up votes in a byelection in a deep-blue rural Alberta riding to regain a seat in the House of Commons, having lost his old one in Carleton. Then he’ll go on to face a leadership review in January.

For Poilievre, survival means keeping that far-right constituency fired up (or, at the very least, not disgruntled). Otherwise, he could well share the same fate as Jason Kenney.

Defending a pair of convicts might be one way to rally demoralized supporters, but we all pay the high social cost when political leaders whip up their followers to believe in the baseless notion that the courts are being weaponized against them.

Trust in our institutions is dwindling, but that’s not the Crown’s fault. It’s the reckless rhetoric from Poilievre’s Conservatives that’s to blame.