In his first speech to caucus since winning the party’s top job, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said Monday his focus at the helm will be on holding the government to account for its perceived failings on the economy and inflation.
Poilievre — who spoke for roughly 10 minutes, sometimes to thunderous applause from the assembled MPs and senators — said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the governing Liberals are out of touch with the struggles of working people.
He said that, as the son of a single mother and the adoptive son of two school teachers, he comes from “humble origins” and can sympathize with the plight of Canadians struggling to get by.
The consumer price index rose 7.6 per cent in July over a year earlier, Statistics Canada reported last month.
While there may be an early sign in dropping fuel prices that year-over-year inflation has peaked, the costs of housing and other goods remain elevated. For the last several months, consumer price increases have continued to exceed the year-over-year increase in hourly wages.
Poilievre said during his campaign for the leadership that he met young people living in their parents’ basements because of eye-popping home prices, blue collar workers who can’t afford new boots for their jobs and single mothers who have cut back on the food they feed their families because of surging grocery prices.
“Canadians are hurting and it is our job to transform that hurt into hope. That is my mission,” Poilievre said.
Poilievre called on Trudeau to stop increases to payroll taxes like Employment Insurance (EI) premiums and contributions to the Canada Pension Plan.
He also said it was reckless for the government to push through sizable hikes to the federal carbon tax — the levy on fuels will increase from $50 a tonne of emissions this year to $170 a tonne by 2030 — when people are “already suffering.”
“I’m issuing a challenge to Justin Trudeau today. If you really care, commit today that there will be no new tax increases on workers, on seniors. None,” Poilievre said.
“My commitment back is, to the prime minister and his radical woke coalition with the NDP: we will fight tooth and nail to stop the coalition from introducing any new taxes.”
WATCH: Poilievre addresses Conservative caucus for the first time since winning leadership
Pierre Poilievre addresses Conservative caucus for the first time since winning leadership
6 hours ago
Duration 13:41
Poilievre won the party’s leadership race on Saturday with 68 per cent of the vote. He says he will fight against inflation and the current government’s rising deficit.
Poilievre also offered another solution.
During his campaign for the leadership, Poilievre tried to tie the government’s pandemic-era spending to inflation. With more money in circulation, the MP argued, the cost of goods has increased to meet surging demand.
The government has rejected these claims, saying the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine are largely to blame for recent price spikes.
‘Pay-as-you-go’
Poilievre said that, if he’s elected prime minister, he’ll introduce legislation to force the federal government to offset every dollar of new spending with a cut to something else — a program he’s calling a “pay-as-you-go” approach to budgeting.
Poilievre’s plan is to essentially cap federal spending so it doesn’t go much higher than it is now.
The legislation, if passed, would require the government to find money for new measures within existing budgets, rather than increasing debt and taxes to cover new costs.
“We know the problem — the cost of government is driving up the cost of living,” he said, pointing to the nearly half-trillion added to the federal debt in recent years during a global health crisis. “The government should find a way to save one dollar for any new dollar spent. That’s the proposal we’re going to make.”
Poilievre, a populist figure, said he wants to lead a country with “small government and big citizens … [where] the state is the servant and the people are the masters.”
Poilievre, who has a reputation as an attack dog in party politics, brought his wife and one of his children to the platform ahead of his Monday morning speech.
He warmly embraced his wife, Ana, who gave a well-received introduction to her husband at Saturday’s leadership event. He also held his baby son, Cruz, who turned one year old today, and blew out the candles on a small birthday cake as a smiling caucus looked on.
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, wife Anaida and son Cruz arrive at the Conservative caucus meeting in Ottawa on Monday, Sept. 12, 2022 — Cruz’s first birthday. (Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press)
While Poilievre had the backing of much of the caucus during his leadership run, he extended a hand to those MPs and senators who supported other candidates during the sometimes nasty race.
“No matter the candidates you support throughout the leadership race, no matter if you stayed neutral. I am grateful for your contributions. We’re all together and we’re all part of the great Conservative family,” he said.
Quebec MP Gérard Deltell, who backed former Quebec premier Jean Charest in the leadership contest, said he and others are ready to unite behind Poilievre.
“I think the message is Mr. Poilievre got a strong result on the first round so now he’s the leader of every Conservative member of this party,” he said.
“Inflation is the big issue of Canadians right now — we have to address it and Mr. Poilievre is the one to do that,” he added. Detell continued to distance himself from Poilievre’s campaign pledge to “fire” the Bank of Canada governor, however: “That’s not where I stand on that.”
Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner said the decisive nature of Poilievre’s win should put an end to the party’s ‘war of succession.’ (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)
Alberta MP Michelle Rempel Garner, who supported Brampton, Ont. Mayor Patrick Brown for leader before he was blocked from running, said she’s happy with the clear result because it brings the party’s revolving roster of leaders to a halt.
“I am relieved our war of succession is over and Mr. Poilievre received a crushing mandate and I think it’s going to provide some much-needed stability to our caucus at a time when we need to focus, as the opposition, on holding the government to account,” she said. “It’s back to work for us.”
Alberta MP Glen Motz said the leader’s lopsided victory shows most Conservatives are onside with Poilievre’s populism.
“We’re not as divided as you’d think,” he said, calling Poilievre a “consensus builder” who will work with some of the MPs who bristled at his style during the leadership race.
Trudeau calls out Poilievre for ‘questionable’ ideas
Speaking to reporters at a Liberal caucus retreat in New Brunswick, Trudeau congratulated Poilievre on his victory and said he’s willing to work with the Conservative leader on the country’s challenges.
The prime minister also said he wouldn’t hesitate to call out Poilievre for espousing what he called “highly questionable, reckless economic ideas.”
“What Canadians need is responsible leadership. Buzzwords, dog whistles and careless attacks don’t add up to a plan for Canadians,” Trudeau said.
He criticized Poilievre for previously pushing cryptocurrencies as a way to “opt out” of inflation. The value of Bitcoin has tanked in recent months, wiping out billions of dollars of savings.
“Anyone who followed that advice would’ve seen their life savings destroyed,” Trudeau said of Poilievre’s crypto pitch.
WATCH: Trudeau speaks about the new Conservative leader’s ‘questionable’ ideas
Trudeau congratulates Pierre Poilievre on winning the Conservative leadership
5 hours ago
Duration 1:52
After congratulating Poilievre on his win, Trudeau went on to say that while he would work with all parliamentarians, he’s troubled by some of the new leader’s rhetoric.
“Fighting against vaccines that have saved millions of lives, that’s not responsible leadership,” Trudeau said, referring to Poilievre’s gestures of support for some truckers opposing Ottawa’s vaccine mandate for cross-border travel.
On the sidelines of the Liberal retreat, a number of MPs said the party has to pivot to counter a new Conservative leader who mobilized hundreds of thousands of Canadians and captured a stunning 70 per cent of the popular vote in the party’s leadership race.
Some said they would like to see the party adopt more centrist positions to counter Poilievre.
“We must return to a federal centre, centre-right party,” said one MP, who spoke on the condition that they not be identified. “We need a government that is down-to-earth and less woke.”
“Poilievre’s party can’t fill the centre,” said another.
WINNIPEG – A public memorial honouring former judge, senator and chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission into residential schools, Murray Sinclair, is set to take place in Winnipeg on Sunday.
The event, which is being organized by the federal and Manitoba governments, will be at Canada Life Centre, home of the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets.
Sinclair died Monday in a Winnipeg hospital at the age of 73.
A teepee and a sacred fire were set up outside the Manitoba legislature for people to pay their respects hours after news of his death became public. The province has said it will remain open to the public until Sinclair’s funeral.
Sinclair’s family continues to invite people to visit the sacred fire and offer tobacco.
The family thanked the public for sharing words of love and support as tributes poured in this week.
“The significance of Mazina Giizhik’s (the One Who Speaks of Pictures in the Sky) impact and reach cannot be overstated,” the family said in a statement on Tuesday, noting Sinclair’s traditional Anishinaabe name.
“He touched many lives and impacted thousands of people.”
They encourage the public to celebrate his life and journey home.
A visitation for extended family, friends and community is also scheduled to take place Wednesday morning.
Leaders from across Canada shared their memories of Sinclair.
Premier Wab Kinew called Sinclair one of the key architects of the era of reconciliation.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Sinclair was a teacher, a guide and a friend who helped the country navigate tough realities.
Sinclair was the first Indigenous judge in Manitoba — the second in Canada.
He served as co-chair of the Aboriginal Justice Inquiry of Manitoba to examine whether the justice system was failing Indigenous people after the murder of Helen Betty Osborne and the police shooting death of First Nations leader J.J. Harper.
In leading the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, he participated in hundreds of hearings across Canada and heard testimony from thousands of residential school survivors.
The commissioners released their widely influential final report in 2015, which described what took place at the institutions as cultural genocide and included 94 calls to action.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2024.
OTTAWA – Members of Parliament studying the federal government’s decision to buy a $9-million luxury condo in Manhattan are preparing to recall Canada’s consul general in New York to answer more questions about his involvement in the purchase.
The Conservatives put forward a motion on Tuesday to have Tom Clark return to the House operations committee. The move was supported by other opposition parties after new information emerged that contradicted his previous testimony.
Clark told the committee in September he had no role whatsoever in the purchase of the new condo, or the sale of the previous residence.
But reporting from Politico on Tuesday indicated Clark raised concerns about the old unit two months after he was appointed to his role as Canada’s representative in New York.
Politico cited documents obtained through access-to-information, which were then shared with other media by the Conservative party.
A May 2023 report from Global Affairs Canada indicates Clark informed government officials the residence needed to be replaced.
“The current (consul general in New York, head of mission) expressed concerns regarding the completion of the … kitchen and refurbishment project and indicated the unit was not suitable to be the (consul general’s) accommodations,” the report reads.
“It does not have an ideal floor plan for (consul general in New York) representational activities.”
The final call on whether Clark will face further questions has not been made, however, because the committee adjourned before the motion went to a vote. The committee’s next meeting is next week.
Tuesday’s meeting featured Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly as a witness, and she faced questions about Clark’s involvement in the purchase.
“This was not a political decision because this was an operational decision,” Joly told the committee in a testy exchange with Conservative MP Michael Barrett.
“(The committee) had numerous people, officials of mine, that came to see you and said that. So, these are the facts.”
Joly later told the committee she only learned of the decision to purchase a new residence through media reports, even though her chief of staff was notified weeks earlier.
“The department informed my chief of staff once the decision was taken. Because, of course, it was not a political decision,” Joly said.
Shortly before Joly was excused, Conservative MP Stephanie Kusie put forward the motion to recall Clark for two more hours to answer more questions.
Bloc MP Julie Vignola proposed instead to have him testify for only one hour — indicating she would support the motion with that change.
“One hour is more than enough to know whether he lied to us,” Vignola told her colleagues in French.
NDP MP Taylor Bachrach also said he would support the move, given the contrast between the new report and Clark’s testimony about whether he spoke to anyone about a desire to move into a new residence.
“What really irks me is the consul general was so clear in response to repeated questioning at committee,” Bachrach said.
“Mr. Clark said, ‘Never.’ One-word answer, ‘Never.’ You can’t get more unequivocal than that.”
The Liberal government has argued that buying the new residence will save Canadians taxpayers millions of dollars and reduce ongoing maintenance costs and property taxes while supporting future program needs for the consul general.
The former official residence is listed for sale at $13 million, but has yet to be sold.
In her remarks Tuesday, Joly told the committee other like-minded countries have paid more for their Manhattan residences than Canada has — including $11 million for the U.K., and France’s $19 million purchase in 2015.
Joly said among the countries that have residences in New York, only Afghanistan and Bangladesh were not located in Manhattan.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2024.
TORONTO – An Ontario judge says any outstanding issues regarding a proposed $32.5 billion settlement between three major tobacco companies and their creditors should be solvable in the coming months.
Ontario Superior Court Chief Justice Geoffrey Morawetz has released his reasons for approving a motion last week to have representatives for creditors review and vote on the proposal in December.
One of the companies, JTI-Macdonald Corp., said last week it objects to the plan in its current form and asked the court to postpone scheduling the vote until several issues were resolved.
The other two companies, Rothmans, Benson & Hedges and Imperial Tobacco Canada Ltd., didn’t oppose the motion but said they retained the right to contest the proposed plan down the line.
The proposal announced last month includes $24 billion for provinces and territories seeking to recover smoking-related health-care costs and about $6 billion for smokers across Canada and their loved ones.
If the proposed deal is accepted by a majority of creditors, it will then move on to the next step: a hearing to obtain the approval of the court, tentatively scheduled for early next year.
In a written decision released Monday, Morawetz said it was clear that not all issues had been resolved at this stage of the proceedings.
He pointed to “outstanding issues” between the companies regarding their respective shares of the total payout, as well as debate over the creditor status of one of JTI-Macdonald’s affiliate companies.
In order to have creditors vote on a proposal, the court must be satisfied the plan isn’t “doomed to fail” either at the creditors or court approval stages, court heard last week.
Lawyers representing plaintiffs in two Quebec class actions, those representing smokers in the rest of Canada, and 10 out of 13 provinces and territories have expressed their support for the proposal, the judge wrote in his ruling.
While JTI-Macdonald said its concerns have not been addressed, the company’s lawyer “acknowledged that the issues were solvable,” Morawetz wrote.
“At this stage, I am unable to conclude that the plans are doomed to fail,” he said.
“There are a number of outstanding issues as between the parties, but there are no issues that, in my view, cannot be solved,” he said.
The proposed settlement is the culmination of more than five years of negotiations in what Morawetz has called one of “the most complex insolvency proceedings in Canadian history.”
The companies sought creditor protection in Ontario in 2019 after Quebec’s top court upheld a landmark ruling ordering them to pay about $15 billion to plaintiffs in two class-action lawsuits.
All legal proceedings against the companies, including lawsuits filed by provincial governments, have been paused during the negotiations. That order has now been extended until the end of January 2025.
In total, the companies faced claims of more than $1 trillion, court documents show.
In October of last year, the court instructed the mediator in the case, former Chief Justice of Ontario Warren Winkler, and the monitors appointed to each company to develop a proposed plan for a global settlement, with input from the companies and creditors.
A year later, they proposed a plan that would involve upfront payments as well as annual ones based on the companies’ net after-tax income and any tax refunds, court documents show.
The monitors estimate it would take the companies about 20 years to pay the entire amount, the documents show.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2024.
