Poilievre — who spoke for about 10 minutes, at times to thunderous applause from the assembled MPs and senators — said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the governing Liberals are out of touch with workers’ struggles. He said that, as the son of a single mother and the stepson of two teachers, he comes from a “humble background” and can empathize with the plight of Canadians struggling to make ends meet. The consumer price index rose 7.6 per cent in July from a year earlier, Statistics Canada said last month. While there may be an early sign of falling fuel prices that year-on-year inflation has peaked, the cost of housing and other goods remains elevated. Over the past several months, consumer price increases have continued to outpace the annual increase in hourly wages on a year-over-year basis. Poilievre said during his leadership campaign he met young people living in their parents’ basements because of skyrocketing house prices, workers who can’t afford new work boots and single mothers who cut back on food. feed their families due to rising food prices. “Canadians are hurting and it’s our job to turn that hurt into hope. That’s my mission,” Poilievre said. Poilievre called on Trudeau to halt increases in payroll taxes such as Employment Insurance (EI) premiums and Canada Pension Plan contributions. He also said it was reckless for the government to push for major increases in the federal carbon tax – the fuel levy will rise from $50 per tonne of emissions this year to $170 per tonne by 2030 – when people are “already suffering”. “I’m issuing a challenge to Justin Trudeau today. If you really care, pledge today that there will be no new tax increases on workers, on seniors. None,” Poiliev said. “My pledge back is, to the prime minister and his radical coalition with the NDP: we will fight tooth and nail to stop the coalition from introducing new taxes.” WATCH: Poilievre addresses Conservative convention for first time since winning leadership
Pierre Poilievre is addressing a Conservative caucus for the first time since winning the leadership
Poiliev won the party leadership race on Saturday with 68 percent of the vote. He says he will fight against inflation and the growing deficit of the current government. Poilievre also offered another solution. During his leadership campaign, Poilievre tried to link the government’s pandemic-era spending to inflation. With more money in circulation, the MP argued, the cost of goods has risen to meet rising demand. The government has rejected these claims, saying the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine are largely to blame for recent price increases.
‘Pay-as-you-go’
Poilievre has said that, if elected prime minister, he would introduce legislation that would force the federal government to match every dollar of new spending with a cut to something else — a program he calls a “pay-as-you-go” budgeting approach. Poilievre’s plan is essentially to limit federal spending so that it is not much higher than it is now. The legislation, if passed, would require the government to find money for new measures within existing budgets, rather than raising debt and taxes to cover new spending. “We know the problem — the cost of government is driving up the cost of living,” he said, pointing to the nearly half a trillion added to the federal debt in recent years during a global health crisis. “The government should find a way to save a dollar for every new dollar spent. That’s the proposal we’re going to make.” Poilievre, a populist figure, has said he wants to lead a country with “small government and big citizens… [where] the state is the servant and the people are the master”. Poilievre, who has a reputation as an attack dog in party politics, brought his wife and one of his children to the podium before his morning speech on Monday. He warmly embraced his wife, Ana, who gave a warm introduction to her husband at Saturday’s leadership event. He also held his son, Cruz, who turned one today, and blew out the candles on a small birthday cake as a smiling crowd looked on. Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, wife Anaida and son Cruz arrive at the Conservative caucus meeting in Ottawa on Monday, September 12, 2022 – Cruz’s first birthday. (Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press) While Poilievre had the support of much of the caucus during his leadership, he reached out to those congressmen and senators who supported other candidates during the sometimes fractious race. “Regardless of which candidates you support throughout the leadership race, regardless of whether you stayed neutral. I’m grateful for your contributions. We’re all in this together and we’re all part of the big Conservative family,” he said. Quebec MP Gérard Deldel, who backed former Quebec premier Jean Sarres in the leadership contest, said he and others are ready to rally behind Pouliev. “I think the message is that Mr. Poilievre had a strong result in the first round, so now he is the leader of every conservative member of this party,” he said. “Inflation is the big issue for Canadians right now – we have to deal with it and Mr. Poilievre is the one to do it,” he added. Detell continued to distance himself from Poilievre’s campaign pledge to “fire” the Bank of Canada governor, however: “I’m not where I’m at on that.” Conservative MP Michelle Rebel Garner said the decisive nature of Poulievre’s victory should end the party’s “succession war”. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press) Alberta MP Michelle Rebel Garner, who supported Brampton, Ont. Mayor Patrick Brown, who ran for leader before she was disqualified from running, said she was pleased with the clear result because it stops the rotating list of party leaders. “I am relieved that our succession war is over and Mr Poilievre has been given an overwhelming mandate and I think he will provide much needed stability in our caucus at a time when we need to focus, as the opposition, on holding the government to account,” he said. “He’s back to work for us.” Alberta MP Glenn Motz said the leader’s lopsided victory shows that most Conservatives are in favor of Pouliev’s populism. “We’re not as divided as you think,” he said, calling Poulievre a “consensus builder” who will work with some of the lawmakers who stood up to his style during the leadership race. At the Liberal Party meeting in New Brunswick on Monday, some MPs said the party must pivot to face a new Conservative leader who has mobilized hundreds of thousands of Canadians and won a stunning 70 per cent of the popular vote in the party’s leadership race. Some said they would like to see the party adopt more centrist positions to counter Poilievre. “We have to go back to a federal center-right party,” said one lawmaker, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “We need a government that is down to earth and less awake.” “Poilievre’s party cannot fill the center,” said another.
