Interview with Pierre Poilievre | Economic issues to unite the Conservative Party

(Ottawa) Pierre Poilievre maintains that he will unite the Conservative Party after a long and sometimes acrimonious leadership race by concentrating most of his efforts on the issues that have always rallied the Conservatives: the economy, the fight against inflation, deficit reduction and tax cuts.

Joel-Denis Bellavance
The Press

Considered the leader of this race, Mr. Poilievre also confirmed that he would maintain the position of political lieutenant in Quebec in the party structure, if he wins victory on September 10. This position remains essential, according to him, for any leader who cherishes the ambition to win new seats in the province in the next federal election.

“We need someone who is on the ground 100% of the time in Quebec, who is capable of delivering the message of the Conservatives in Quebec. More importantly, we need someone who can deliver Quebec’s message within the Conservative Party,” said the Conservative MP.

In an interview at The PressOn Thursday, Poilievre dismissed attacks from his main rival, former Quebec premier Jean Charest, that he is banking on American-style divisiveness to win the party. “He’s the one who matters American politics, not me,” he said on the phone.

With D-Day three weeks away, Poilievre said he doesn’t take victory for granted, although many observers go so far as to predict a first-round victory.

“Justinflation”

For months, Mr. Poilievre has made the fight against inflation his main battle horse, going from a new expression that is circulating widely among conservative ranks by calling the crisis in the cost of living “Justinflation”.

“I will unify the party by focusing on issues that unite all Conservatives. Obviously, the main issue is inflation. Justin Trudeau caused this inflation with inflationary deficits of nearly $500 billion. Inflationary taxes like the carbon tax increase costs for farmers and businesses to provide products and services. The more the government spends, the more it costs Canadians,” Poilievre said.

“The Conservative Party is the only party that can restore discipline to our finances, reduce taxes, reduce deficits and reduce inflation. So I’m also going to propose a “dollar for dollar” law, which means that the federal government will have to find a dollar in savings for every new dollar spent. It will limit government spending, ”he also stressed.

In short, Pierre Poilievre intends to hit the nail on the head on the economy, the economy and the economy from the first day he takes office, if he tops his rivals at the finish line on September 10.

“Justin Trudeau’s exorbitant spending not only increases inflation, it also contributes to higher interest rates. Experts say it forces the Bank of Canada to raise the interest rate because the government has run up huge deficits. So we have families who have to pay a lot more for their mortgage. »

Mr. Poilievre, who has proven to be a real thorn in the side of the Liberals in the Commons as finance critic, says it is not in the interests of Canadians that the deal struck between the Liberals and the New Democrats lasts until June 2025.

Under this agreement reached in March, the New Democratic Party (NDP) undertakes to support the minority Liberal government of Justin Trudeau during votes of confidence on the budget for the next three years in exchange for new spending in several areas, including the creation of a new national dental program.

“The Liberal-NDP coalition is so radical that it will continue to lose the support of Canadians. The Timmins mine worker disagrees with a big carbon tax hike. He does not support the policy of going after hunters instead of going after criminals. I don’t know how the NDP MP for this region, Charlie Angus, is going to be able to continue to stay in a coalition that attacks his own constituents, ”he analyzed.

One thing is certain, he promises that the Conservative Party will be ready, if he is elected leader and if an election is held before June 2025.