The problem with Poilievre is that he likes to indulge the alt-right in its nonsense.
A good example of this is that Poilievre said he'd ban cabinet members from attending the World Economic Forum. Is that a big deal? No, not really. But normalizing decision-making based on the whims of conspiracy theorists absolutely is. The best hope for bringing the alt-right back to reality is for the centre-right to reel them in. But instead, Poilievre lets them pull him.
But that's a benign example. There are others that are worse.
Poilievre wants to defund the CBC and promotes the idea that it is Liberal propaganda. He consistently
attacks mainstream journalism. Would eliminating our national broadcaster to create a right-wing mediasphere controlled by the wealthy not permanently damage Canada?
Poilievre supports eliminating the carbon tax, I'd wager because it makes him popular with climate change deniers. One consequence of this is that other countries might impose their own carbon taxes on our exports and collect the revenue themselves, instead of us collecting it.
Poilievre blames Trudeau's spending for inflation, even though the whole global economy had inflation. If he were in charge, Canadians would've gotten less help to get through the pandemic. Poilievre rejected dental care for children under 12 in low income families and a one time $500 transfer to low income renters because he viewed it as inflationary spending!
Speaking of pandemics, Poilievre's desire to endorse those who reject science and fight for the right to be disease vectors leads to the kind of policies that have a body count. This is a guy who choses to side with the rats in a plague because they vote for him.
It's not just the immunocompromised and seniors who Poilievre is willing to sacrifice to his party's lunatics. Poilievre supports Danielle Smith's puberty blocker ban, which I've already
explained is awful policy. He's throwing trans people under the bus because it's politically convenient. And if a trans person gets attacked by an alt right nutjob he won't be holding the knife. But he'll have been in that person's ear telling them that they're right.
What will be the long-term effects of an alt-right that's been emboldened by Poilievre? If they have learned that they will get their way if they throw a temper tantrum, even if their way kills people?
How would Poilievre react, say, if the next alt-right theory is that First Nations people are ruining Canada? He won't send them to the gas chambers, but based on his track record, I wouldn't put it past him to dog-whistle, rather than condemn, those who would. How might his successor react, if Poilievre shows appeasing the alt-right to be an effective electoral strategy? There's a fire and instead of fighting it he's adding fuel. If we can control it later then there won't be too much permanent harm from a Poilievre government, but what if we can't?
Supporting conspiracy theory nonsense instead of denouncing it ought to be disqualifying.