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

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is facing criticism for saying too many young people can't buy affordable homes before their "biological clocks" have run out — a comment he's made in the past, but one that's igniting online pushback now as he faces more scrutiny in this election campaign.

The comment has also drawn criticism from the Liberals and NDP, who say that sort of language is outdated and demeaning toward women in particular, given the sensitivities around fertility issues.

Poilievre's supporters say the outrage is political correctness run amok, and argue he's highlighting a real concern: Some couples are starting families later or having fewer children than they want because of the high cost of living, a claim backed up by Statistics Canada data.

Poilievre referred to biological clocks during a news conference Monday as he was defending his campaign's decision to focus on affordability issues such as housing, even as the country stares down U.S. President Donald Trump and the tariffs threat.

Speaking to reporters about what he calls the lost Liberal decade with runaway housing costs, Poilievre said he will stand up for the "36-year-old couple whose biological clock is running out faster than they can afford to buy a home and have kids."

It's a riff on what he said last week at a rally in Stoney Creek, Ont., when he lamented that some millennials are "desperate to buy a home and start a family before the biological clock runs out in your mid-30s."

In December, Poilievre said he feels for the "39-year-old woman, desperate to have kids but unable to buy a home in which to raise them, her biological clock running out."

In a pre-campaign interview with academic Jordan Peterson, Poilievre also referred to aging women and their biological clocks, and the issue of housing affordability.

The term "biological clock" and any talk of it "running out" is generally used to refer to a woman's declining fertility due to a reduction in egg quality and quantity as she grows older.

Liberal candidate Yvan Baker said the Conservative leader is "using a woman's fertility as a punchline in a political attack," calling it "outdated and harmful rhetoric."

Julie Dzerowicz, another Liberal contender, said in a social media post: "Our biological clocks are none of your business."

Speaking to reporters in Winnipeg at Liberal Leader Mark Carney's campaign stop Tuesday, candidate Ginette Lavack said Polievre's comments are "completely unacceptable."

"These are not comments that should be made by anyone. A person should have the right to choose the timing of when they'll make those life decisions. It's not a comment or a conversation to have publicly like that," Lavack said.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh was blunt when asked about the remark: "I don't think any woman wants to hear Pierre Poilievre talking about their body."