OTTAWA –
Conservative Leader Pierre Poillievre doubled down on his belief that “everything feels broken” in Canada on Friday, after blasting Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for saying otherwise.
At the start of the group’s two-day meeting to outline their priorities when the House of Commons resumes next week, Poilievre asked Tory MPs: “What is happening in our country?”
His speech offered a stirring overview of Trudeau’s nearly eight years in power, listing the ways he says Canadians are suffering — from high grocery prices to crime, which he characterized as out of control — and the areas where he says the government is failing . As an example of this, he cited the recent holiday travel chaos.
“Everything feels broken,” Poilievre said. “Oh, I just insulted Justin Trudeau. He gets very angry when I talk about these problems.”
He pointed to Trudeau’s comments at the Liberals’ annual holiday party last month, where the prime minister countered the Conservative leader’s message by telling his own supporters: “Canada is not broken.”
Poilievre accused Trudeau of being unable to see how much people were suffering, saying their problems were Trudeau’s fault alone.
“You told us that better is always possible,” Poilievre said. “And yet everything is worse.”
He then suggested that if Trudeau was unwilling to fix the country’s problems, he should “get out of the way and let someone lead who can.” This comment was met with applause from his group.
For his part, Trudeau responded to Poilievre’s remarks on the way to the Liberal caucus meeting, saying the Conservative leader was fueling people’s anger instead of “offering them solutions.”
Poilievre’s speech highlighted the issue of crime, saying cities are becoming “crime hotbeds” under Trudeau’s watch and suggesting he is not taking the necessary steps to reduce violence.
Poilievre pointed to Toronto as an example after a series of violent incidents on the city’s transit system in recent weeks.
A Statistics Canada report released last November showed the country’s homicide rate had risen for the third year in a row, with cities like Winnipeg and Regina boasting the worst rates per capita. The crime severity index decreased in 2021 and 2020 after five years of increases.
Poilievre enters the upcoming parliamentary session — his second since winning the party leadership last fall — fresh off a stretch of campaign-like stops in Quebec, northern Ontario, Winnipeg and Vancouver.
And if his first few months as leader were focused on the transition to the office, he is now well into the business of managing a group of 116 people.
This is not without problems. This week, at the behest of Poilievre, the party whip informed MPs that they must lead by example in demonstrating fiscal responsibility by ending the practice of taxpayers paying for home internet services.
The House of Commons allows members to be reimbursed for these costs through their office budgets, but the Tories have asked their MPs and staff to stop.
Emails obtained by The Canadian Press show several rural MPs have expressed their displeasure, asking the office to delay making a policy change until the group meets Friday to talk. That ultimately didn’t happen.
Asked about those concerns, Poilievre’s spokesman Sebastian Skamski referred to an earlier statement made by opposition chief whip Kerry-Lynn Findlay, who said the change was made in light of the high cost of living.
Poilievre has also released several policy statements in the past week, including an announcement that he plans to consult with First Nations to increase their access to revenue from resources developed on their land.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on January 27, 2023.
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