Poilievre packs in thousands with message of hope and change

Article content

On a cold Sunday afternoon, Pierre Poilievre somehow managed to convince close to 3,000 people to come hear him speak. The leader of the federal Conservative Party not only got them out, but also had them on their feet and cheering throughout his near 40-minute speech.

Article content

Given it’s difficult for political parties, even successful ones, to draw crowds like that during an election campaign, the fact Poilievre was able to do it when there’s no election tells you something about his momentum.

Article content

“Who is ready to spike the hike? Who is ready to axe the tax?” Poilievre asked the enthusiastic crowd.

The Conservatives launched a new campaign Sunday, asking Canadians to reach out to their Liberal and NDP MPs to say they don’t want the carbon tax increase scheduled for April 1. That tax hike, or spike as Poilievre calls it, will see Canada’s carbon tax increase from $65 a tonne to $80 a tonne, a 23% increase all at once.

“April 1st, April Fools and with Justin Trudeau and the NDP, the joke is on you,” Poilievre said.

Article content

Article content

Article content

Poilievre was introduced by Jamil Jivani, who just won the byelection in Durham on Monday and by Poilievre’s wife, Ana, with both getting plenty of applause and standing ovations. But it was Poilievre who was the main draw, with the crowd hanging on every word as he spoke about the carbon tax, making housing affordable, keeping criminals in jail, developing Canada’s resources and taking foreign aid currently sent to dictatorial regimes  — like China — and redirecting it to Canada’s military.

At one point, Poilievre took time out from his speech to recognize former Toronto Liberal MP John Nunziata, who was in the audience to support Poilievre and the Conservatives. Nunziata was first elected in 1984, the year of the massive Mulroney sweep, and served as an MP until 2000, though he left the Liberals in 1996 when they reneged on their promise to scrap the GST.

Article content

“We’re promoting you every day,” Nunziata said to Poilievre during the speech.

“We’re welcoming all those common-sense Liberals into our party,” Poilievre said.

Recommended video

According to the latest polling, it would seem many former Liberals are backing Poilievre. The Angus Reid Institute released a poll this week giving the Conservatives a 17-point lead — 40% support to 23% for the Liberals — while Abacus Data released a poll showing an 18-point lead — 42% for the Conservatives and 24% for the Liberals.

A week ago, in Monday’s Durham byelection, Conservative Jamil Jivani took 57% of the vote to the Liberals candidate’s 22%, while the NDP shrank to 10%. The shocking thing wasn’t that Jivani won, it’s the margin he won by and the dangerously weak showing by the Liberals and NDP.

Article content

Those numbers set Liberal and NDP operatives on edge as they confirmed things may be even worse than the polling has predicted for them — and better for Poilievre and the Conservatives.

As Poilievre railed against Trudeau’s carbon tax, he explained how Liberal policies hurt Canadian farmers, but favour imported products. He noted a greenhouse operation in his riding in Ottawa has to pay the carbon tax on the tomatoes they grow, but an imported tomato from Mexico isn’t charged the carbon tax, making the imported product cheaper.

Article content

He pointed out that the same problem applies to steel produced at mills like Stelco in Hamilton, and that Trudeau’s policies even encourage Canadians to buy imported electric vehicles from China.

Poilievre is riding a wave of opportunity and support as voters grow tired of the Trudeau Liberals. The problem is, thanks to their coalition agreement with the NDP, we may not get a chance to change governments until October 2025.

Canadians want and need change now; Poilievre is offering change, while Trudeau clings to power thanks to an assist from Jagmeet Singh and the NDP.

Article content