(OTTAWA) Conservative leadership candidate Pierre Poilievre refuses to take part in a third debate, slamming the party for the “awkward” format of the first debate in English moderated by a member of the “liberal media elite,” and having fun with Jean Charest.
Posted at 4:04 p.m.
The presumed leader of the race signaled Thursday, a few hours after the announcement by party authorities of the holding of a new oratorical contest, that he had no intention of crossing swords with his opponents. . In doing so, he exposes himself to a fine.
“It’s not the fault of [notre] campaign if the party debate in Edmonton was widely seen as an awkward exercise,” the Poilievre team railed in a statement posted in English on social media by its influential adviser Jenni Byrne.
“The party chose a media personality from the Laurentian liberal elite [l’ex-journaliste Tom Clark] to moderate the debate in Edmonton. Instead of asking about politics, he asked pointless questions like, “What book are you reading?” or “What series do you binge-watch?” “, we add.
We will therefore not witness a final confrontation between Pierre Poilievre and Jean Charest.
The animosity between the two men has been evident since the start of the campaign. We quickly realized it; last May, during a debate organized by the Canada Strong and Free Network, the member for Carleton took the stage without shaking hands with the former premier of Quebec.
In the absence of being able to see the hostility on a screen, it can be read in the press release from the Poilievre team.
“Jean Charest is having trouble attracting a few dozen people to his campaign events. That’s why he wants another debate – to take advantage of Pierre’s popularity with the membership and gain an audience he can’t get on his own,” it was quipped.
” Lack of respect ”
The Charest campaign accused Pierre Poilievre’s abstention of “lack of respect for the leadership of the party and its 675,000 members”, accusing the hyperactive elected official on social media of preferring “to publish videos internship rather than answering questions in real time, in real life”.
The decision to hold a third formal debate was made by the leadership election organizing committee after a survey of members. They voted “massively” (65%) in favor of holding an additional oratorical contest, underlined the political formation.
The event is to take place somewhere in August.
In addition to Jean Charest, candidates Scott Aitchison and Roman Baber pleaded in favor of holding another debate. A priori, the team of the last competitor, Leslyn Lewis, had pleaded that it would possibly participate in a new oratory contest.
Possibly as in maybe not, in the end.
“Issues facing rural Canadians were not discussed in the debates,” the candidate said in a statement in English. I am not convinced that a high-level debate will cover new issues, or that it will be followed by members. »
The new Conservative leader will be known on September 10.