(Ottawa) Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused his rival Pierre Poilievre of taking advantage of the vulnerability of Canadians in these difficult times to pull the Conservative Party even further to the right. He reminded his MPs meeting in caucus on Thursday that the Liberals’ strength is in strengthening the middle class and those who are trying to join it.
“Pierre Poilievre is working to move his party further to the right while we work to meet Canadians where they are, where they need us to be for them,” he said. declared in a speech before the Liberal caucus on Thursday, in anticipation of the resumption of parliamentary work on January 29.
He acknowledged that inflation and renewing mortgages at high interest rates are causing concerns for many people.
Canadians are worried. They want solutions. Unfortunately, there are politicians who just want to use this concern to amplify anger for their own benefit.
Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada
“Our job is to strengthen the middle class and support those who are working hard to join it,” he added, returning to the mantra of the Liberals’ first mandate in 2015. “That’s what we focused on the accent for eight years. This is what we will continue to do and in fact it is how we have overcome the extraordinary periods of turbulence in recent years. »
The Prime Minister did not directly mention the criticisms of Newfoundland MP Ken McDonald on his leadership who had stated on Radio-Canada the day before that the Liberals and their leader had “reached their expiration date” and that he It was time for a vote of confidence.
He later qualified his remarks by declaring in writing that his intention was not “to personally demand a review of leadership”.
The MPs who agreed to speak to journalists rallied behind their leader.
PHOTO ROBERT SKINNER, THE PRESS
The Minister of Public Services and Procurement, Jean-Yves Duclos
“We know that the work of all deputies and certain deputies in particular is difficult in the current context,” recognized Minister Jean-Yves Duclos. People find life expensive. They are afraid of the future. »
“I feel no disagreement, no loss of confidence in Mr. Trudeau who is doing a solid job in difficult national and international conditions,” he added.
The Prime Minister stressed that the strength of the Liberal Party was to allow “difficult conversations” about the policies to be put forward to support people. “And anyone who points to it as a weakness doesn’t understand Canada,” he added. He cited as an example the differences within the caucus over the war between Israel and Hamas.
He repeatedly attacked Conservatives who voted against modernizing the Canada-Ukraine free trade agreement “to appease Putin apologists like Tucker Carlson.” The right-wing American host was in Calgary, Alberta the day before as part of his tour Make America Great Again.
Mr. Trudeau recalled that his government’s support for Ukraine aims not only to support this people who are fighting for their sovereignty and territorial integrity, but also to fight for democratic values and protect the international order based on on rules that have prevailed since the Second World War.