(OTTAWA) Conservative MP Ed Fast was stripped of his duties as finance critic hours after claiming that Pierre Poilievre’s pledge to fire the central bank governor if he is elected is hurting to the credibility of the party.
Updated yesterday at 8:11 p.m.
“The Honorable Ed Fast informed me today that he will be stepping down as Conservative Shadow Minister responsible for Finance,” the party’s interim leader Candice Bergen said in a brief evening press release. .
Mme Bergen does not refer to the events of the morning, but recalls that Mr. Fast has publicly declared his support for one of the candidates in the party’s leadership race, namely Jean Charest, and that he wishes to offer “support more dedicated to this team.
In a scrum upon joining the Conservative caucus on Wednesday, Fast said Poilievre is causing his own party to “lose credibility.”
PHOTO JEFF MCINTOSH, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Last week, during the first official leadership debate, Pierre Poilievre announced that he would fire Governor Tiff Macklem because the country’s inflation rate is hitting highs not seen in decades.
Called to confirm that he speaks on this issue as co-chair of Jean Charest’s campaign, he rather indicated that he speaks “as a spokesperson for finance”.
Mr Fast also said he was “deeply disturbed” that the leadership candidate was prepared to “meddle” in the “essential” independence of one of the nation’s major monetary institutions.
“The central bank has served us well, although not perfectly, over the years, but has served us well in controlling inflation,” he said. Central banks around the world have struggled with the same challenges as our central bank and I think it is unwise to attack the central bank governor when in fact the real problem is government borrowing and spending federal. »
For many hours, the Conservative Party refused to respond to requests from The Canadian Press to clarify whether Ed Fast was indeed speaking on behalf of the party as he claimed.
Last week, during the first official leadership debate, Pierre Poilievre, who is considered the leader, threw a stone into the pond by announcing that he would fire Governor Tiff Macklem because the rate of inflation in the country is reaching heights not seen in decades.
Again on Wednesday, Statistics Canada announced that its consumer price index had continued to rise in April, with inflation rising by 6.8% compared to a year ago. This was the strongest inflation since January 1991, when it was 6.9%.
Poilievre reacts
In a written statement sent to The Canadian Press before the announcement of the interim leader, Pierre Poilievre reiterates that the Governor of the Bank of Canada has “failed” in his “mission” to maintain inflation at 2%.
“He preferred to print money for Trudeau to spend,” writes Mr. Poilievre.
The candidate also attacks Mr. Fast by emphasizing in broad strokes the fact that he also militates for the Charest camp.
“Ed Fast and Jean Charest would have no problem firing a waitress or a welder for not doing their job, but they wouldn’t do the same for a big banker whose failures cost Canadians a fortune,” said he added.
Pierre Poilievre’s comments led Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to defend the independence of the Bank of Canada the day after the debate.
The institution is “highly renowned internationally”, he insisted, praising its “rigor”, its “professionalism” and its “independence from political machinations”.
Mr. Poilievre has also held a press conference outside the Bank of Canada building in Ottawa in recent weeks, during which he denounced the institution’s “so-called experts” whom he moreover considers himself to be “financially illiterate”.
The fire of action
In the ranks of candidate Poilievre, Ontario MP Marilyn Gladu, who supports him and co-chairs his campaign in Ontario, declined to say Wednesday whether showing the door to Governor Macklem would be a good idea, simply noting that “in the heat of the action, everyone has ideas”.
Is she concerned that an important figure in the party could harm the credibility of the political formation?
” Nope. I don’t think so, she replied. In fact, the more excited and pissed off the liberal media is about Pierre Poilievre, the more I know they worry that he is out to win. »
MNA Gérard Deltell, who is the critic for innovation, science and industry and who also supports Jean Charest, repeated in French immediately after Ed Fast that “you have to be careful when you attack institutions directly” and reminded that “our opponent’s name is Justin Trudeau”.
“We must also keep in mind that the Bank of Canada is an independent institution and that it must have its leeway, which is not perfect, we recognize that there have been excesses that have been made about it. That said, would it deserve the ultimate sanction? This is not an opinion that I share. »
In recent weeks, Mr. Poilievre has also touted cryptocurrencies as “a cure for inflation,” which has earned him the label of “irresponsible” by former Quebec Premier Jean Charest. , one of his opponents in the race.