Conservative Party members are assembling in Quebec City for a three-day policy convention — a chance to craft a playbook to woo voters who are showing signs of fatigue with the governing Liberals.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has seen his fortunes improve over the summer months and the party is registering higher support in public opinion polls — numbers that suggest Conservatives could form a majority government if the next election were held soon.
Poilievre is laser-focused on affordability, inflation and the government’s perceived failings — but some party members have other issues on their mind.
The list of policy proposals before delegates this weekend includes some ideas to address the crippling increase in the cost of living, including providing different mortgage terms so homebuyers can lock in at lower rates for longer, and changes to the RRSP withdrawal rules for seniors.
But the document also shows some members are eager to engage in so-called culture war topics.
There are pitches on upending transgender-related policies, limiting euthanasia, doing away with forced diversity training, scrapping vaccine mandates for good and dismantling the Emergencies Act, the legislation used to dismantle the 2022 COVID-19 convoy protest.
The policies were crafted by the party’s grassroots and approved by local electoral district associations (EDAs) before making it to this convention. There will be further debate before a final vote on the new policies on Saturday.
The policies are designed to inform the party’s next election platform but Poilievre isn’t required to campaign on what delegates endorse.
WATCH: Conservatives dominate in the polls as Poilievre prepares for major convention:
Conservatives dominate in the polls as Poilievre prepares for major convention
1 day ago
Duration 15:17
Recent polling suggests the Conservatives have a clear path to a majority government in an election held in the near future. The Writ’s Éric Grenier breaks down the latest numbers. Then, Conservative Party of Canada president Rob Batherson discusses the hot button policy proposals on the convention agenda.
These conventions have been a headache for previous leaders.
At the 2021 policy convention, Poilievre’s predecessor, Erin O’Toole, promised action on the environment in a speech. The very next day, party delegates rejected a motion that declared climate change is real. As a result, O’Toole left the convention weakened by rampant internal discontent.
The challenge for Poilievre, party insiders and observers tell CBC News, is to keep members focused on the main task before them: cobbling together a winning coalition that can take down Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and end eight years of Liberal government.
The party can’t be distracted by social issues that could be off-putting to swing voters, the insiders said.
A policy to ban sex-selective abortions — a long-time demand of some anti-abortion activists in the party — was included initially in the list of policy proposals but was ultimately dumped from the final 55 that delegates will debate this week.
It’s a sign that the Poilievre-led party doesn’t want to be consumed by at least one divisive social issue.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre holds a press conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press )
Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Poilievre steered clear of the more controversial proposals when asked which ones he’s prepared to endorse.
“I’d rather let the members review the motions and propose what policy they want me to consider. And when they do, I’ll consider it,” Poilievre said.
“Leaders, of course, are never bound by convention resolutions but we do take them into consideration.”
In an address to Conservative MPs and senators Thursday before the convention, Poilievre made no mention of the resolutions.
The party’s focus, he said, should be on taking the fight directly to the prime minister he blames personally for the country’s woes.
The cost of housing has doubled on Trudeau’s watch, he said, and stubborn inflation has pushed up the cost of living, leaving the working class with big bills.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre speaks to a crowded room of supporters at the Cymbria Lions Club in Rustico, P.E.I., on Wednesday night. (Kerry Campbell/CBC)
Poilievre vowed again to “axe the carbon tax,” balance the budget through spending cuts and tie federal funding for municipalities to the number of building permits they approve every year.
“The good news is, life was not like this in Canada before Justin Trudeau and it will not be like this after he’s gone,” Poilievre said to applause from his caucus.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of this Conservative gathering, some MPs said the resolutions are distraction.
“I haven’t even read this resolution,” Alberta MP Stephanie Kusie said of a proposed transgender policy.
“I haven’t seen it,” said Ontario MP Karen Vecchio. “We’re focused on issues that matter to Canadians. Let’s not kid ourselves, we’re doing really well.”
Another Alberta MP, Michelle Rempel Garner, said she respects the “rights and dignity” of all Canadians, including those in the LGBTQ community.
“My first concern is with Canadians who are struggling in my community. The government and Parliament has a lot of work to do to address the affordability crisis,” Rempel Garner said.
“I mean, at every convention in every party you have different resolutions that you look and say, ‘Really?'” Saskatchewan MP Kevin Waugh said when asked about the policy proposals.
“As MPs we say, ‘Hmm. That’s interesting. How would you put that into a policy?”
A Conservative source close to Poilievre who spoke to CBC News on background said the party brass isn’t as concerned about the inevitable Liberal attacks on Conservative social policy — attacks that tripped up past leaders like Andrew Scheer and O’Toole.
In 2019, for example, Liberals raised Scheer’s past opposition to same-sex marriage. In 2021, Trudeau hammered O’Toole for his more permissive stance on firearms while also suggesting the abortion debate could be reopened with the Tories in power.
Poilievre insisted during his leadership campaign that a government led by him would not introduce any new abortion legislation, the source said, and some more moderate voters are also uneasy about the pace of change with trans and gender issues.
“Pierre is adept at swatting away Liberal fearmongering,” the source said.
“Plus, some voters are tired of all the ‘woke’ talk that comes from this Liberal government. We’re fine having some of these conversations.”
Canadians want change, says party president
Rob Batherson, the Conservative Party president, said the party is bracing for the Liberals to rely on the “usual fear and scare tactics” to weaken Poilievre’s standing among more moderate voters.
With Trudeau on the defensive, the Tories are expecting their opponent to go negative, he said.
“I think Canadians will see through those tactics and they’ll focus on the fact that everything has gotten appreciably worse over the last eight years,” Batherson told CBC’s Power & Politics.
“We’re increasingly confident that Canadians are looking for a change in government, and they’re certainly tired of Justin Trudeau.”
Canadians are looking for a change in government after eight years of Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government, says Rob Batherson, the Conservative party president. (Darren Calabrese/The Canadian Press)
Among the socially conservative policies that delegates will consider in Quebec is a proposed ban on gender-affirming care for minors.
The proposal, backed by delegates from the B.C. riding of North Okanagan-Shuswap, is designed to “protect children” by “prohibiting life altering medicinal or surgical interventions on minors under 18 to treat gender confusion or dysphoria.” The policy mimics similar policies enacted by conservative Republican governments in the U.S.
For many social conservatives, trans issues have supplanted abortion as the top issue.
In that vein, there’s also a proposal from the Alberta riding of Edmonton Strathcona that would make it party policy to demand “women-only spaces,” to ensure that women have “safety, dignity and privacy” in places like prisons, shelters, locker rooms and washrooms.
They also want “women-only” categories in sports and for scholarships — a proposal that’s designed to exclude transgender women. Under the policy, a woman would be defined as a “female person” in the Conservative constitution.
Proposal aims to promote ‘bodily autonomy’
This push follows the lead of some U.S. states that have enacted similar policies after transgender swimmer Lia Thomas won a women’s NCAA national championship. That victory ignited a political debate about the acceptability of trans athletes in elite sport.
Delegates from Edmonton Strathcona also want to do away with “forced political, cultural or ideological training of any kind” that is a “precondition of employment or practice,” an apparent reference to diversity training in some workplaces.
While some delegates are eager to restrict the rights of trans people, others say they want to promote “bodily autonomy.”
Delegates from the Quebec riding of Repentigny say people should have more say on what goes into their bodies — a policy born of opposition to Ottawa’s past policy of requiring certain public servants to get a COVID-19 shot or face the prospect of losing their jobs.
“Health professionals must disclose an uncensored risk benefit analysis for any treatment (including vaccines) while protecting patient privacy. No constitutional right shall be restricted for refusing medical treatments,” the policy proposal reads.
A man is silhouetted walking past a Conservative Party logo. (Darren Calabrese/Canadian Press)
As for medical assistance in dying (MAID), a proposal from delegates from the Ontario riding of Thunder Bay—Superior North, which describes the practice as “euthanasia,” aims to roll back what’s currently on offer.
They want the practice stopped for people who are not terminally ill. And they want a ban on the service for people who have mental health issues.
J.P. Lewis is a professor of political science at the University of New Brunswick Saint John and the author of The Blueprint: Conservative parties and their impact on Canadian politics.
Lewis said the convention is a delicate balancing act for the leader. Poilievre can’t be seen as marginalizing the grassroots by denying talk on hot topics.
He also can’t get caught up in fractious debates that don’t play well in a general election.
“These conventions are a real test for a leader. But Poilievre has more room to fail. He’s had a consistent lead over Trudeau in the polls,” he said. “He’s got such momentum because there’s a tremendous amount of voter fatigue out there.
“Fatigue — that’s a powerful force in Canadian politics.”
NEW YORK (AP) — In a new video posted early Election Day, Beyoncé channels Pamela Anderson in the television program “Baywatch” – red one-piece swimsuit and all – and asks viewers to vote.
In the two-and-a-half-minute clip, set to most of “Bodyguard,” a four-minute cut from her 2024 country album “Cowboy Carter,” Beyoncé cosplays as Anderson’s character before concluding with a simple message, written in white text: “Happy Beylloween,” followed by “Vote.”
At a rally for Donald Trump in Pittsburgh on Monday night, the former president spoke dismissively about Beyoncé’s appearance at a Kamala Harris rally in Houston in October, drawing boos for the megastar from his supporters.
“Beyoncé would come in. Everyone’s expecting a couple of songs. There were no songs. There was no happiness,” Trump said.
She did not perform — unlike in 2016, when she performed at a presidential campaign rally for Hillary Clinton in Cleveland – but she endorsed Harris and gave a moving speech, initially joined onstage by her Destiny’s Child bandmate Kelly Rowland.
“I’m not here as a celebrity, I’m not here as a politician. I’m here as a mother,” Beyoncé said.
“A mother who cares deeply about the world my children and all of our children live in, a world where we have the freedom to control our bodies, a world where we’re not divided,” she said at the rally in Houston, her hometown.
“Imagine our daughters growing up seeing what’s possible with no ceilings, no limitations,” she continued. “We must vote, and we need you.”
Harris used the song in July during her first official public appearance as a presidential candidate at her campaign headquarters in Delaware. That same month, Beyoncé’s mother, Tina Knowles, publicly endorsed Harris for president.
Beyoncé gave permission to Harris to use the song, a campaign official who was granted anonymity to discuss private campaign operations confirmed to The Associated Press.
Outside of sports and a “Cold front coming down from Canada,” American news media only report on Canadian events that they believe are, or will be, influential to the US. Therefore, when Justin Trudeau’s announcement, having finally read the room, that Canada will be reducing the number of permanent residents admitted by more than 20 percent and temporary residents like skilled workers and college students will be cut by more than half made news south of the border, I knew the American media felt Trudeau’s about-face on immigration was newsworthy because many Americans would relate to Trudeau realizing Canada was accepting more immigrants than it could manage and are hoping their next POTUS will follow Trudeau’s playbook.
Canada, with lots of space and lacking convenient geographical ways for illegal immigrants to enter the country, though still many do, has a global reputation for being incredibly accepting of immigrants. On the surface, Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver appear to be multicultural havens. However, as the saying goes, “Too much of a good thing is never good,” resulting in a sharp rise in anti-immigrant sentiment, which you can almost taste in the air. A growing number of Canadians, regardless of their political affiliation, are blaming recent immigrants for causing the housing affordability crises, inflation, rise in crime and unemployment/stagnant wages.
Throughout history, populations have engulfed themselves in a tribal frenzy, a psychological state where people identify strongly with their own group, often leading to a ‘us versus them’ mentality. This has led to quick shifts from complacency to panic and finger-pointing at groups outside their tribe, a phenomenon that is not unique to any particular culture or time period.
My take on why the American news media found Trudeau’s blatantly obvious attempt to save his political career, balancing appeasement between the pitchfork crowd, who want a halt to immigration until Canada gets its house in order, and immigrant voters, who traditionally vote Liberal, newsworthy; the American news media, as do I, believe immigration fatigue is why Kamala Harris is going to lose on November 5th.
Because they frequently get the outcome wrong, I don’t take polls seriously. According to polls in 2014, Tim Hudak’s Progressive Conservatives and Kathleen Wynne’s Liberals were in a dead heat in Ontario, yet Wynne won with more than twice as many seats. In the 2018 Quebec election, most polls had the Coalition Avenir Québec with a 1-to-5-point lead over the governing Liberals. The result: The Coalition Avenir Québec enjoyed a landslide victory, winning 74 of 125 seats. Then there’s how the 2016 US election polls showing Donald Trump didn’t have a chance of winning against Hillary Clinton were ridiculously way off, highlighting the importance of the election day poll and, applicable in this election as it was in 2016, not to discount ‘shy Trump supporters;’ voters who support Trump but are hesitant to express their views publicly due to social or political pressure.
My distrust in polls aside, polls indicate Harris is leading by a few points. One would think that Trump’s many over-the-top shenanigans, which would be entertaining were he not the POTUS or again seeking the Oval Office, would have him far down in the polls. Trump is toe-to-toe with Harris in the polls because his approach to the economy—middle-class Americans are nostalgic for the relatively strong economic performance during Trump’s first three years in office—and immigration, which Americans are hyper-focused on right now, appeals to many Americans. In his quest to win votes, Trump is doing what anyone seeking political office needs to do: telling the people what they want to hear, strategically using populism—populism that serves your best interests is good populism—to evoke emotional responses. Harris isn’t doing herself any favours, nor moving voters, by going the “But, but… the orange man is bad!” route, while Trump cultivates support from “weird” marginal voting groups.
To Harris’s credit, things could have fallen apart when Biden abruptly stepped aside. Instead, Harris quickly clinched the nomination and had a strong first few weeks, erasing the deficit Biden had given her. The Democratic convention was a success, as was her acceptance speech. Her performance at the September 10th debate with Donald Trump was first-rate.
Harris’ Achilles heel is she’s now making promises she could have made and implemented while VP, making immigration and the economy Harris’ liabilities, especially since she’s been sitting next to Biden, watching the US turn into the circus it has become. These liabilities, basically her only liabilities, negate her stance on abortion, democracy, healthcare, a long-winning issue for Democrats, and Trump’s character. All Harris has offered voters is “feel-good vibes” over substance. In contrast, Trump offers the tangible political tornado (read: steamroll the problems Americans are facing) many Americans seek. With Trump, there’s no doubt that change, admittedly in a messy fashion, will happen. If enough Americans believe the changes he’ll implement will benefit them and their country…
The case against Harris on immigration, at a time when there’s a huge global backlash to immigration, even as the American news media are pointing out, in famously immigrant-friendly Canada, is relatively straightforward: During the first three years of the Biden-Harris administration, illegal Southern border crossings increased significantly.
The words illegal immigration, to put it mildly, irks most Americans. On the legal immigration front, according to Forbes, most billion-dollar startups were founded by immigrants. Google, Microsoft, and Oracle, to name three, have immigrants as CEOs. Immigrants, with tech skills and an entrepreneurial thirst, have kept America leading the world. I like to think that Americans and Canadians understand the best immigration policy is to strategically let enough of these immigrants in who’ll increase GDP and tax base and not rely on social programs. In other words, Americans and Canadians, and arguably citizens of European countries, expect their governments to be more strategic about immigration.
The days of the words on a bronze plaque mounted inside the Statue of Liberty pedestal’s lower level, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…” are no longer tolerated. Americans only want immigrants who’ll benefit America.
Does Trump demagogue the immigration issue with xenophobic and racist tropes, many of which are outright lies, such as claiming Haitian immigrants in Ohio are abducting and eating pets? Absolutely. However, such unhinged talk signals to Americans who are worried about the steady influx of illegal immigrants into their country that Trump can handle immigration so that it’s beneficial to the country as opposed to being an issue of economic stress.
In many ways, if polls are to be believed, Harris is paying the price for Biden and her lax policies early in their term. Yes, stimulus spending quickly rebuilt the job market, but at the cost of higher inflation. Loosen border policies at a time when anti-immigrant sentiment was increasing was a gross miscalculation, much like Trudeau’s immigration quota increase, and Biden indulging himself in running for re-election should never have happened.
If Trump wins, Democrats will proclaim that everyone is sexist, racist and misogynous, not to mention a likely White Supremacist, and for good measure, they’ll beat the “voter suppression” button. If Harris wins, Trump supporters will repeat voter fraud—since July, Elon Musk has tweeted on Twitter at least 22 times about voters being “imported” from abroad—being widespread.
Regardless of who wins tomorrow, Americans need to cool down; and give the divisive rhetoric a long overdue break. The right to an opinion belongs to everyone. Someone whose opinion differs from yours is not by default sexist, racist, a fascist or anything else; they simply disagree with you. Americans adopting the respectful mindset to agree to disagree would be the best thing they could do for the United States of America.
PHOENIX (AP) — Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a prominent proponent of debunked public health claims whom Donald Trump has promised to put in charge of health initiatives, said Saturday that Trump would push to remove fluoride from drinking water on his first day in office if elected president.
Fluoride strengthens teeth and reduces cavities by replacing minerals lost during normal wear and tear, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The addition of low levels of fluoride to drinking water has long been considered one of the greatest public health achievements of the last century.
Kennedy made the declaration Saturday on the social media platform X alongside a variety of claims about the heath effects of fluoride.
“On January 20, the Trump White House will advise all U.S. water systems to remove fluoride from public water,” Kennedy wrote. Trump and his wife, Melania Trump, “want to Make America Healthy Again,” he added, repeating a phrase Trump often uses and links to Kennedy.
Trump told NBC News on Sunday that he had not spoken to Kennedy about fluoride yet, “but it sounds OK to me. You know it’s possible.”
The former president declined to say whether he would seek a Cabinet role for Kennedy, a job that would require Senate confirmation, but added, “He’s going to have a big role in the administration.”
Asked whether banning certain vaccines would be on the table, Trump said he would talk to Kennedy and others about that. Trump described Kennedy as “a very talented guy and has strong views.”
The sudden and unexpected weekend social media post evoked the chaotic policymaking that defined Trump’s White House tenure, when he would issue policy declarations on Twitter at virtually all hours. It also underscored the concerns many experts have about Kennedy, who has long promoted debunked theories about vaccine safety, having influence over U.S. public health.
In 1950, federal officials endorsed water fluoridation to prevent tooth decay, and continued to promote it even after fluoride toothpaste brands hit the market several years later. Though fluoride can come from a number of sources, drinking water is the main source for Americans, researchers say.
Officials lowered their recommendation for drinking water fluoride levels in 2015 to address a tooth condition called fluorosis, that can cause splotches on teeth and was becoming more common in U.S. kids.
In August, a federal agency determined “with moderate confidence” that there is a link between higher levels of fluoride exposure and lower IQ in kids. The National Toxicology Program based its conclusion on studies involving fluoride levels at about twice the recommended limit for drinking water.
A federal judge later cited that study in ordering the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to further regulate fluoride in drinking water. U.S. District Judge Edward Chen cautioned that it’s not certain that the amount of fluoride typically added to water is causing lower IQ in kids, but he concluded that mounting research points to an unreasonable risk that it could be. He ordered the EPA to take steps to lower that risk, but didn’t say what those measures should be.
In his X post Saturday, Kennedy tagged Michael Connett, the lead attorney representing the plaintiff in that lawsuit, the environmental advocacy group Food & Water Watch.
Kennedy’s anti-vaccine organization has a lawsuit pending against news organizations including The Associated Press, accusing them of violating antitrust laws by taking action to identify misinformation, including about COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines. Kennedy is on leave from the group but is listed as one of its attorneys in the lawsuit.
What role Kennedy might hold if Trump wins on Tuesday remains unclear. Kennedy recently told NewsNation that Trump asked him to “reorganize” agencies including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration and some agencies under the Department of Agriculture.
But for now, the former independent presidential candidate has become one of Trump’s top surrogates. Trump frequently mentions having the support of Kennedy, a scion of a Democratic dynasty and the son of former Attorney General Robert Kennedy and nephew of President John F. Kennedy.
Kennedy traveled with Trump Friday and spoke at his rallies in Michigan and Wisconsin.
Trump said Saturday that he told Kennedy: “You can work on food, you can work on anything you want” except oil policy.
“He wants health, he wants women’s health, he wants men’s health, he wants kids, he wants everything,” Trump added.
