Who is Pierre Poilievre?
I know, you may think that this question is utter absurdity, as the poster boy conservative has been in the spotlight for two years.
All the labels have been attached to him. A libertarian? A populist? A Canadian Trump? A version of the Canadian far right?
However, few have raised one of the facets of the Conservative leader.
His propensity to use wooden language, despite his loose tongue.
“Advertising documentary”
A blatant example this week.
The Conservative leader recently published a “documentary” on the housing crisis.
A tightly packed 15 minutes to proclaim that the crisis had only one culprit: Justin Trudeau.
He turned over every stone. However, he avoids one: that of immigration.
Immigration is not solely responsible for the housing crisis. But any serious thinking about housing must include thinking about demographics.
This is also what Canadian banks like TD, Desjardins and the National Bank, researchers like Pierre Fortin and, more recently, several progressive English Canadians and defenders of multiculturalism say.
However, Pierre Poilievre remains silent on this subject. It is difficult not to see only electoral reasons for this silence.
Double talk
This is not the only issue where he skillfully adopts wooden language.
What would he do to combat climate change – apart from pulverizing liberal advances? He advocates the end of the carbon tax, the end of environmental assessments, an end to capping GHG emissions and more oil and gas exploitation, while promising less pollution.
This is squaring the circle here.
Same modus operandi on issues related to gender identity, which have become a point of convergence between conservatives and certain Canadian religious groups.
The Conservative Party of Canada has voted against banning gender transitions among minors. Politicians in the provinces are legislating so that students have parental approval to change their first name. Conservative MPs posed proudly with “leave our children alone” sweaters.
What does Pierre Poilievre say about it? No one really knows. He dodges.
Same thing for the deficits that he promises to eliminate. The deficit is currently 46.5 billion. Where will he cut to get there? Will he cut the dental program for low-income Canadians? Would he subsidize billions for battery companies to set up in Ontario and Quebec?
We are in the dark, because he does not comment.
Despite appearances, despite his sweeping speeches, despite his straight-to-the-point rhetoric, the Conservative leader remains silent on the issues that do not serve him.
Liberal attacks
To govern means to take a stand.
The opposition can allow itself to criticize, without speaking out. This is what is currently happening in Ottawa.
For a year, to counter Pierre Poilievre, the liberals have tried to lump him in with Trump and the American right.
These attacks are completely ineffective. The polls prove it.
An idea for the Liberals if they want to get out of their impasse: defend their policies, such as the carbon tax, and attack the positions that Pierre Poilievre keeps as a secret, which will only be discovered if he becomes prime minister.
There are quite enough of them.