In his first caucus speech since winning the party’s top job, conservative leader Pierre Poilievre said Monday that his focus at the helm will be on holding the government to account for its perceived missteps on the economy and inflation.
Poilievre, who spoke for about 10 minutes, sometimes to thunderous applause from 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 adopted son of two school teachers, he comes from “humble origins” and can sympathize with the plight of Canadians struggling to get by.
The consumer price index rose 7.6 per cent in July from a year earlier, Statistics Canada reported last month.
While there may be an early sign from falling fuel prices that year-on-year inflation has peaked, the costs of housing and other goods remain high. In recent months, the increase in consumer prices has continued to outpace the year-over-year increase in hourly wages.
Poilievre said during his leadership campaign that he met young people living in their parents’ basements because of sky-high house prices, blue-collar workers who can’t afford new boots for work and single mothers who have reduced food feed their families due to rising grocery prices.
“Canadians are hurting and it’s our job to transform that pain 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 unwise for the government to push for sizable rises in the federal carbon tax: the tax on fuels will rise from $50 per tonne of emissions this year to $170 per tonne in 2030, when people ” he’s already suffering.”
“Today I challenge Justin Trudeau. If you really care, pledge today that there will be no new tax increases on workers or seniors. None,” Poilievre said.
“My return pledge is, to the prime minister and her radical awakening coalition with the NDP: We will fight tooth and nail to prevent the coalition from introducing new taxes.”
WATCH: Poilievre heads to Conservative caucus for first time since winning leadership
Pierre Poilievre heads to the Conservative caucus for the first time since winning the leadership
Poilievre won the party leadership race on Saturday with 68% of the vote. He says he will fight inflation and the current government’s rising deficit.
Poilievre also offered another solution.
During his leadership campaign, Poilievre sought to link pandemic-era government spending to inflation. With more money in circulation, the MP argued, the cost of goods has risen to meet the growing demand.
The government has rejected these claims, saying the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine are largely to blame for recent price spikes.
“Payment”
Poilievre said that if elected prime minister, he will introduce legislation to force the federal government to offset every dollar of new spending with a cut in something else, a program he calls a “pay-as-you-go” approach. budgeting
Poilievre’s plan is basically to limit federal spending so that it won’t be 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 costs.
“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, said he wants to lead a country with “small government and great citizens… [where] the state is the servant and the people is the master”.
Poilievre, who has a reputation as an attack dog in party politics, brought his wife and one of their children to the platform before his speech on Monday morning.
He warmly embraced his wife, Ana, who made a well-received introduction to her husband at Saturday’s leadership event. She also held her youngest son, Cruz, who turned one today, and blew out the candles on a small birthday cake as a smiling caucus looked on.
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, wife Anaida and son Cruz arrive at the Conservative caucus meeting in Ottawa on Monday, Sept. 12, 2022, Cruz’s first birthday. (Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press)
While Poilievre had the support of much of the caucus during his leadership run, he reached out to those lawmakers and senators who supported other candidates during the sometimes nasty race.
“It doesn’t matter which candidates you support during the leadership race, it doesn’t matter if you stayed neutral. I appreciate your contributions. We’re all in this together and we’re all part of the big conservative family,” he said.
Quebec MP Gérard Deltell, who backed former Quebec premier Jean Charest in the leadership contest, said he and others are willing to rally behind Poilievre.
“I think the message is that Mr. Poilievre got a strong result in the first round, so he is now the leader of all the Conservative members of this party,” he said.
“Inflation is the big problem for Canadians right now – we need to address it and Mr. Poilievre is the one to do it,” he added. Detell continued to distance himself from Poilievre’s campaign promise to “fire” the Bank of Canada governor, but: “That’s not where I’m at on that.”
Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner said the decisive nature of Poilievre’s victory should end the party’s “succession war”. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)
Alberta MP Michelle Rempel Garner, who supported Brampton, Ont. Mayor Patrick Brown as leader before his candidacy was blocked, she said she is happy with the clear result because it slows down the revolving list of party leaders.
“I am relieved that our succession war is over and Mr Poilievre has been given an overwhelming mandate and I believe he will provide much-needed stability to our caucus at a time when we, as the opposition, must focus on maintaining government. be held accountable,” he said. “He’s back to work for us.”
Alberta MP Glen Motz said the leader’s lopsided victory shows the majority of conservatives are on the side of Poilievre’s populism.
“We’re not as divided as you might think,” he said, calling Poilievre a “consensus builder” who will work with some of the lawmakers who have grown accustomed to his style during the leadership race.
Trudeau asks Poilievre for “questionable” ideas.
Speaking to reporters at a Liberal caucus retreat in New Brunswick, Trudeau congratulated Poilievre on his victory and said he is ready to work with the Conservative leader on the country’s challenges.
The prime minister also said he would not hesitate to call out Poilievre for advocating what he called “highly questionable and reckless economic ideas.”
“What Canadians need is responsible leadership. Buzzwords, dog whistles and careless attacks do not add up to a plan for Canadians,” Trudeau said.
He criticized Poilievre for previously pushing cryptocurrencies as a way to “opt out” of inflation. Bitcoin’s value has plummeted in recent months, wiping out billions of dollars in savings.
“Anyone who followed that advice would have seen their life savings destroyed,” Trudeau said of Poilievre’s crypto launch.
WATCH: Trudeau talks about new Conservative leader’s ‘questionable’ ideas
Trudeau congratulates Pierre Poilievre on winning the Conservative leadership
After congratulating Poilievre on his victory, Trudeau said that while he would work with all parliamentarians, he was concerned about some of the new leader’s rhetoric.
“Fighting vaccines that have saved millions of lives, that’s not responsible leadership,” Trudeau said, referring to Poilievre’s gestures of support for some truckers who oppose Ottawa’s vaccine mandate for cross-border travel .
On the sidelines of the Liberals’ retreat, several MPs said the party must pivot to counter a new Conservative leader who mobilized hundreds of thousands of Canadians and captured an impressive 70 per cent of the popular vote in the party’s leadership race .
Some said they would like the party to adopt more centrist positions to counter Poilievre.
“We need to go back to a center, center-right federal party,” said one lawmaker, who spoke on the condition that they not be identified. “We need a government that is down to earth and less awake.”
“Poilievre’s party can’t fill the center,” said another.