(Ottawa) Pierre Poilievre promises to fire Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem if he becomes the next leader of the Conservative Party and leads the Conservative troops to victory in the next federal election.
Updated yesterday at 11:15 p.m.
Considered the leader of the Conservative Party leadership race, Mr. Poilievre made this astonishing commitment on Wednesday evening during the party’s English-language debate in Edmonton. This outing earned him fierce criticism from his main rival, former Quebec Premier Jean Charest, who accused him of undermining the confidence of Canadians in one of the country’s important institutions.
This debate was markedly more civil than the first, which took place last week in Ottawa and was sponsored by Canada Strong and Free Network, a right-wing think tank. This oratorical joust had given rise to numerous scathing blows between MM. Poilievre and Charest.
PHOTO JEFF MCINTOSH, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Jean Charest shakes hands with his rival Pierre Poilievre.
Military spending, immigration, abortion, supply management policy, the rising cost of living and the carbon tax are some of the topics that have come up during the debate which has sometimes took on the appearance of a salon discussion when the candidates were asked to detail the last book they read, their musical tastes or the historical figures that marked them.
“ATM”
In general, the country’s political leaders refrain from questioning the policies of the Bank of Canada and respect its independence in its monetary policy decisions.
But Mr. Poilievre, who was finance critic before embarking on the leadership race, has flouted this convention and has been mounting attacks on the Bank of Canada and its management team for several weeks.
Candidate Pierre Poilievre accuses the Bank of Canada of being largely responsible for inflation, which hit 6.7% in the country in March, a 30-year high.
“The Governor of the Bank of Canada has allowed himself to become the government’s ATM (Trudeau), and I would replace him with a new Governor who would restore our low inflation mandate, protect the purchasing power of our dollar and honor the workers who earn those dollars,” Poilievre said during one of the inflation segments.
Tiff Macklem was appointed Governor of the Bank of Canada by the Trudeau government for a seven-year term in June 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the economy.
Mr. Poilievre repeated his promise to fire the governor during his closing remarks.
“Irresponsible suggestion”
Among the five other candidates in the running, only Jean Charest saw fit to rebuff Mr. Poilievre.
“Mr. Poilievre’s suggestion to fire the Governor of the Bank of Canada […] is irresponsible. This creates doubt if you are an investor planning to come to Canada. If you hear this kind of statement from an elected member of the House of Commons, you might believe that you are in a Third World country,” said Mr. Charest.
PHOTO JEFF MCINTOSH, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Jean Charest, candidate for the leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada
We cannot afford to have a leader who deliberately undermines trust in our institutions.
Jean Charest, candidate for the leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada
During the debate, which was moderated with an iron fist by former journalist Tom Clark and lasted two hours, Mr. Poilievre was also roundly criticized by all the other candidates for suggesting that Canadians should try to escape the effects of inflation by investing in cryptocurrencies.
“The idea that you can escape inflation with the magic of cryptocurrency is astounding. This can fluctuate wildly by 30% or more in a day. The last thing we should be doing is encouraging our parents and grandparents and vulnerable families to risk their retirement savings on something so risky,” said Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown. The latter had not participated in the debate last week.
PHOTO JEFF MCINTOSH, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Patrick Brown, Mayor of Brampton and candidate for the leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada
In general, the format resulted in fewer direct exchanges between candidates. This format allowed Jean Charest to further explain the policies he wants to implement if he takes the helm of the party and wins the next election.
Abortion
On the issue of abortion, Mr. Charest also accused Pierre Poilievre of blowing hot and cold.
All the candidates in this room must tell the women of Canada how they position themselves […]. Women in Canada deserve to know […] and, quite frankly, Mr. Poilievre’s response fails that test.
Jean Charest, candidate for the leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada
The principal concerned replied that his position was on the contrary clear: his government would not introduce or support a bill that would have the effect of restricting access to abortion. Later, in an exchange with candidate Leslyn Lewis, the only one among the candidates to openly oppose abortion, Mr Poilievre nevertheless clarified that he would not prevent a Tory MP from introducing such a bill. . “I’m the candidate for freedom,” he said, smirking.
The other two candidates, Ontario Conservative MP Scott Aitchison and former Ontario MPP Roman Baber, presented themselves as the rallying candidates of the race during the debate.
Another debate will take place in French in Laval on May 25. The next leader of the Conservative Party will be elected on September 10.