Poilievre says the federal election can't just be about Donald Trump
Conservative leader pitches policies to address cost of living, housing and energy sector
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre mounted a defence of his campaign messaging Monday, saying he has no qualms about focusing on issues like the housing crisis, cost of living concerns and relatively weak economic growth, even as some of his critics say he should go all in on Canada-U.S. relations.
In the first week of this federal campaign, Poilievre has so far largely stuck to the playbook that catapulted him and his party to the lead in the polls for much of the last two years.
He's been rolling out such measures as an income tax cut, a TFSA top-up and a tough-on-crime agenda with mandatory life sentences in prison for drug traffickers, while also prosecuting the Liberal government's tenure — even as U.S. President Donald Trump's threats loom large.
He made those announcements last week at sites that could be seen as a nod to U.S. trade tensions — a company that works with steel and a B.C. sawmill — but largely avoided talking about the cross-border dispute.
Trump's name gets scant mention at his rallies or news conferences, unless he's asked by reporters to comment.
That has prompted some party grandees, like senior strategist Kory Teneyecke, to say Poilievre is missing the mark by not aggressively taking on Trump, regarded by many Canadians as a threat and a menace.
Poilievre's party has also lost its lead over the governing Liberals, according to CBC Poll Tracker, causing anxiety among some campaign staff who say there's no clear plan to get it back.
Poilievre said Monday he'll make no apologies for pushing what he calls a "Canada first agenda," which is largely focused on rectifying perceived Liberal failures.
He said he will talk about how to address U.S. tensions — his capital gains tax pitch Sunday was specifically designed to drive investment at home, he said — but won't ignore the other issues that have emerged out of what he called the "lost Liberal decade."
"Some people have said I should stop talking about the doubling of housing costs that have denied an entire generation the chance to own a home after the lost Liberal decade. They say we shouldn't be debating why single moms are lined up at food banks in record numbers," Poilievre said.
He said he will stand up for the "36-year-old couple whose biological clock is running out faster than they can afford to buy a home and have kids."
"They suggest that we shouldn't debate why 50,000 of our citizens have lost their lives to drug overdoses under the radical Liberal drug policies," he continued.
"My purpose in politics is to restore Canada's promise," he said. "So we will continue, despite calls to the contrary, to talk about those things even if I am the only leader in the country that offers any change."
There's a reason why Poilievre wants to talk about those issues more than the Trump factor.
A recent Angus Reid Institute poll suggests non-Liberal survey respondents are most concerned about the cost of living and inflation, while the Liberal ones, both longtime supporters and recent switchers, say Canada's relationship with the U.S., including tariffs, is the most important issue.
Poilievre said today he will stand against "unjustified threats by President Trump," and he pitched a longtime Conservative promise to build a national energy corridor to fast-track projects like an east-west pipeline to finally move more Alberta oil and gas to eastern markets.
Liberal Leader Mark Carney has promised something similar.
Poilievre said a government led by him will streamline environmental reviews and create a "pre-approved transport corridor," which will see all levels of government provide legally binding commitments to approve projects like transmission lines, railways and pipelines that run along the route.
The party is promising to work with First Nations to ensure some economic benefit flows to their communities.
Poilievre said building more energy infrastructure will help Canada stand on its own two feet and lessen its dependence on the Americans. So much of Canada's oil and gas is exported to that one market, making the country beholden to a single customer. It also deprives central and eastern parts of the country from Canadian energy, forcing refineries there to rely on foreign supplies from the U.S., Saudi Arabia and Nigeria, among other places.
Poilievre said he won't stand for that anymore. Carney has signalled he won't, either.
Just before calling the federal election, Carney met with the premiers to hash out a new agreement that will see Ottawa slash some red tape as part of the approvals process on major projects.
He's calling it a "one project, one review" permit system to reduce duplicative federal-provincial processes.
"It's time to build," Carney said.
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