Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s policies go against Canadian values of self-determination, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre told a packed crowd of supporters Thursday morning in Ottawa.
“He wants to control every aspect of your life. And then when he ruins your life, he doesn’t want to take any responsibility for the ruin that he caused,” Poilievre told the audience at the Canada Strong and Free Network conference, a national gathering of conservatives from across the country.
Trudeau’s goal, he said, is to make people small so “the government can be made big.”
Throughout his nearly 45-minute speech, the Opposition Leader painted the Prime Minister as a man determined to control all areas of Canadians’ lives — from their wallets to their online interactions. The results, Poilievre said, have been disastrous. He dotted his speech with references to his complaints against Trudeau, including inflation, lack of affordable housing and increases in car theft and violent crime.
“The good news, my friends, is life was not like this before Justin Trudeau,” he said. “It won’t be like this after Justin Trudeau.”
This year’s gathering had a victorious atmosphere from the start. During Wednesday evening’s opening, conference organizers said this was the group’s largest event yet, with more than 1,000 attendees.
The Canada Strong and Free Network was founded in 2005. It was called the Manning Foundation Centre for Building Democracy, after founder Preston Manning, until 2020.
Poilievre’s speech came after panel discussions about parental rights, regulating the internet, and family policies, as well as an interview with New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs.
This year’s event began with a discussion between former U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott. Both predicted a Conservative victory in Canada’s next federal election. Johnson began his remarks by saying the Conservatives are “poised for victory.” Abbott agreed, telling the sold-out crowd that it looks like they were “on the verge of a great win.”
Poilievre was greeted with a standing ovation Thursday morning, as he reiterated his party’s commitment to ditch the carbon tax. His speech did not stray far from the priorities the Conservatives have been repeating for months: killing the carbon tax; balancing the budget; building more homes, increasing punishment for crime; and ensuring that well-paid jobs, particularly in the energy sector, stay in Canada. Poilievre promised to fight climate change by investing in clean energy sources.
He also took aim at Trudeau’s testimony Wednesday afternoon at the inquiry into foreign interference in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections. Trudeau told the inquiry that staff usually brief him orally on important matters and that he does not always read the briefing notes.
“He can’t even take the responsibility of reading his briefing notes,” Poilievre said. This is part of Trudeau’s desire for control, he said. “If he had read 1984, he would have thought it was an instruction manual and not a warning,” Poilievre said, referencing George Orwell’s 1949 dystopian novel.
Poilievre filled his speech with promises of what he would do if elected. He repeated his party’s support for Israel and commitment to increasing funding for the Canadian military. He emphasized that parents should be able to pass on their values to their children, including teaching their own personal values about gender and sexuality.
He said universities would be required to have policies respecting freedom of expression. If they did not, he said, they would not receive federal funding. He also said that, if elected, he would reduce funding to municipalities that did not build enough housing.
He promised to repeal several laws, including the Impact Assessment Act. The law, passed in 2019, created new rules for federal environmental assessments of projects, which can include buildings and pipelines. He also promised to repeal the Online Streaming Act which passed in April 2023.
A panel discussion earlier that day had focused on the government’s legislation aimed at regulating the internet. Panelists — and members of the crowd — expressed their concerns with the recently introduced Bill C-63, which if passed will be the Online Harms Act. They also debated the merits of government subsidies for news organizations, funding for the CBC and the impact of the Online News Act. The law, passed last year, led to Meta banning Canadian news on its platforms, including on Facebook and Instagram.
Poilievre appealed directly to many conservatives’ disdain for the CBC. “Nothing warms my heart more than the thought of a beautiful family pulling up in their U-Haul to move into their wonderful new home in the former headquarters of the CBC,” he said to applause and cheers.
The Canada Strong and Free conference ends Saturday.
Just another Poilievre speech that is dragging our party into Trump world and eventual disaster. Signed, Disgruntled ‘Progressive’ Conservative. Thank God I live in a province governed by the PC Party.
What values are expressed by Poilievre’s “Axe the carbon tax” policy? Since the carbon tax is the most economically efficient way of reducing our carbon footprint, and Poilievre is pretty vague about what “investing in clean energy sources” entails, the “conservative values” he is touting appear to be about denying that climate change is a problem that needs addressing. Since Trudeau is pretty unpopular right now, it’s a zero risk strategy on Poilievre’s part to concentrate all his energy on bashing the current Prime Minister. Having the failed Prime Minister, and serial liar Boris Johnston cheer the conservative crowd is more revealing than anything else. Johnston helped corral the U.K. into the truly disastrous Brexit, which has led to unemployment and a decline in GDP, in spite of all the lies to the contrary.