(Ottawa) Ready to “do anything to win”, Pierre Poilievre chooses to be “negative, divisive and toxic”, deplores Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in light of videos shared on social networks where the Conservative leader encourages conspiracy demonstrators.
“Mr. Poilievre has chosen to be a politician who seeks division, fear and encourages right-wing extremists,” Mr. Trudeau said Wednesday at a press conference in Oakville, a suburb of Toronto.
In the videos in question, Mr. Poilievre goes to meet demonstrators who have planted a flag on which it is written “Fuck Trudeau” near the trailer he is visiting and on which the symbol of the Diagolon group is drawn.
The Diagolon group is described in a House of Commons report as a violent and ideologically motivated extremist organization. It shares members and affiliations with the “Freedom Convoy”, as well as with those who opposed health restrictions imposed by the government.
In another video, the Conservative leader says about the Prime Minister that “everything he says is bullshit from start to finish.” He also announces a “great Canadian tax revolt”.
In his comments on Wednesday, Mr. Trudeau also pointed out in broad strokes that Mr. Poilievre did not denounce the support he received from notorious American conspiracy theorist Alex Jones who was ordered to pay almost a billion dollars in compensation to families of victims of a massacre perpetrated in a school after he had denied the reality.
PHOTO COLE BURSTON, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Justin Trudeau
“I’ve been following this guy for years, and he’s solid (the real deal). Canada desperately needs many more leaders like him, as does the rest of the world,” wrote Alex Jones on X, posting a video in which Mr. Poilievre speaks almost three weeks ago.
He is “the kind of man who says that Pierre Poilievre has the right ideas to bring the country to the right, towards conspiracy theories, towards extremism, towards polarization,” declared the Liberal leader.
He said his conservative opponent’s failure to disavow Mr. Jones “really shows that he will do anything to win, anything to stoke negativity and fear, and that only underlines that he has no nothing to say to really resolve the problems it is amplifying.”
Jumping into the fray a few minutes later, the leader of the New Democratic Party, Jagmeet Singh, also accused Mr. Poilievre of adopting “repeatedly” an “irresponsible” speech. […] who fuels division, who fuels hatred.”
“He doesn’t care about people. He doesn’t care about the workers. He only cares about power. And he will do whatever it takes to divide Canadians, to hurt people, to achieve that,” Mr. Singh told reporters in Edmonton.
Pierre Poilievre’s office did not respond to questions from The Canadian Press at the time of publication.
With information from Émilie Bergeron