A handful of MPs spoke to CBC’s French-language arm – most on condition of anonymity – as the party gathers for a parliamentary session in the seaside resort of Saint Andrews, NB The meeting is intended to outline the party’s priorities ahead of the autumn session, which will see a new face leading Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition: Pierre Poilievre. In his flamboyant style, Poilievre has vowed to fire Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem, accusing him of failing to contain inflation, railed against COVID-19 restrictions and the federal government’s mandate for traveler vaccines and civil servants and promised to take on the elite. With a new Conservative leader making inflation a central issue, some Liberals said they believed economic issues such as the cost of living and job shortages should be put back at the heart of government priorities. Newly elected Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre speaks at the Conservative Party of Canada leadership vote in Ottawa on Saturday. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press) “We need to reframe the message. We need to have both hands on the wheel when it comes to the economy. We dropped the ball on that,” said one lawmaker, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Another said the party needs to be better at showing it’s listening to Canadians and their concerns. “You have to go back to basics, to a more direct connection with people,” they said. Within Liberal ranks, some said they would like to see the party adopt more centrist positions to counter Poilievre. “We have to go back to a federal centrist, centre-right party,” said another lawmaker, also speaking 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. Earlier this year, the Liberals struck a deal in the other direction. The party agreed to launch a new dental care program for middle- and low-income Canadians and advance a number of other NDP priorities in exchange for the New Democrats supporting the federal government until 2025. Opinions on the deal are divided in the New Brunswick caucus.
Passport delays, chaos at the airport “hurt us”: Liberal MP
“I am very comfortable with the alliance with the NDP for the stability of the government,” said Alexandra Mendès, Member of Parliament for Brossard-Saint-Lambert. “Sometimes, we get so caught up in the small politics that we forget the big politics.” Several Liberal sources said they believed the delay in issuing passports was particularly damaging to Liberal voters, including many newcomers waiting for their travel documents to visit relatives abroad. “We’ve had a tough summer and it’s not over,” Mendès said. “After two years of confinement, what did we expect?” Behind the scenes, some elected Liberals whispered that the minister responsible for the file, Karina Gould, was not up to it. “It hurt us. It could have been avoided,” said one lawmaker, who did not want to be named.
