“We don’t underestimate … our opponents in politics at all,” LeBlanc told chief political correspondent Rosemary Barton during an interview on Rosemary Barton Live. “I think we need to take seriously the concerns that Canadians have, Mr. Poilievre should explain why his ideas are not reckless and irresponsible,” he said, referring to some of the issues Poilievre raised on the campaign trail, particularly around inflation. WATCHES | Poilievre’s ideas while running for the Conservative leadership are “pretty reckless,” says LeBlanc:
Poilievre’s ideas while running for Conservative leadership are ‘pretty reckless’, says LeBlanc
Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc congratulated Pierre Poilievre on his landslide victory in the Conservative leadership race, but tells Rosemary Barton he believes Poilievre supported irresponsible policies during the Conservative leadership race. The rising cost of living has been a key talking point for Poilievre throughout his campaign, going so far as to promise to fire the governor of the Bank of Canada for failing to contain inflation. Speaking ahead of the Liberal retreat in New Brunswick this week, Minister of Official Languages Ginette Petitpas Taylor defended the government’s record on inflation. “As a national group, this week we’re coming together to have those conversations and make sure we develop a strategy, an economy that works for all Canadians,” he said. Petipas Taylor was joined by Liberal MP Rachel Bendayan, who went a bit further, criticizing Poilievre for lacking substance and focusing on “dog whistle politics”. Poulievre took 68 percent of the available points in the first ballot in the ranking party leadership election. But the Ontario MP didn’t just dominate the points — he swept nearly every riding in the country. Of the 338 constituencies in Canada, Poilievre lost only eight to his main rival, former Quebec premier Jean Charest. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau congratulated the new official opposition leader on Twitter Saturday night. “As MPs, we must work together to deliver results for people across the country,” he tweeted. Congratulations, —@JustinTrudeau Poilievre will be the third leader to take up the mantle after former prime minister Stephen Harper resigned following the party’s 2015 election loss to Trudeau’s Liberals. But the government may face a more united opposition than under the previous two Conservative leaders. Both Erin O’Toole and Andrew Scheer won their leadership races after multiple rounds of voting, compared to Poilievre’s decisive victory.
“The succession war is over”
Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner told CBC’s Rosemary Barton Live that Poilievre’s first-ballot victory will help unite a caucus that has seemed fractured at times in previous years. “I feel a sense of relief and I hope this morning that this overwhelming wave of victory … will give Mr. Polievre and the team that is going up the sails to have that stability and foundation,” he said. Scheer resigned just weeks after failing to unseat the Liberals in the 2019 election, and O’Toole was kicked out of his own caucus earlier this year. Poilievre will enter his leadership with strong support — 62 MPs and seven conservative senators backed his candidacy. “This war of succession is over,” said Rebel Garner. WATCHES | Rempel Garner believes Poilievre’s win was a ‘tectonic shift’ for the Conservatives
Rempel Garner believes Poilievre’s win was a ‘tectonic shift’ for the Conservatives
Calgary Nose Hill MP Michelle Rempel Garner tells Rosemary Barton she’s relieved after Pierre Poilievre’s decisive victory in the Conservative leadership race and believes his tenure will bring stability to the party as it seeks to win the next federal election. It may be some time before Poilievre has a chance to face Trudeau in a general election because the trust and offer agreement prime minister signed on with NDP leader Jagmeet Singh earlier this year could ensure the Liberals stay in power until the planned 2025 campaign. Recent polls suggest the Liberals and Conservatives are still running head and shoulders, but it remains to be seen what impact Poilievre’s victory will have on his party’s numbers. But it was clear throughout his leadership campaign that Poilievre was drawing large crowds, including one an estimated 5,000 in Calgary in April. His campaign says more than 93,000 people came out to see Poilievre at more than 80 rallies during the campaign. The party also had a record number of party members eligible to vote for leader, 678,702 compared to 269,469 in 2020. Poilievre’s campaign said more than 300,000 of those members have registered. Polievre said Canadians will side with the Conservatives in the next election because they are tired of a Liberal government that “taunts” them. “They don’t need a government to run their lives. They need a government that can run its own passport offices. They need a prime minister who listens to them and offers hope that they can once again afford their homes, their bills, their food and a secure pension. I will be that prime minister,” he said. He has vowed to fire government “watchdogs” — a catch-all term for the bureaucrats he accuses of making everyday life more difficult. Poilievre is expected to name his house leadership team and critic roles in the coming days and will address the caucus on Monday morning. Poilievre will take his place as leader of the official opposition when the House of Commons meets next week. Parliament was due to return on September 19, but the first session will be delayed a day out of respect for Queen Elizabeth’s funeral.
