A year after his decisive first-ballot leadership victory coming in as members’ first choice in nearly every riding across the country, Pierre Poilievre will be delivering a rally-style speech at the Conservative convention aimed at pushing his “common sense” message beyond the base, to the broader public.
So far this weekend, buoyed by positive polling numbers and a growing list of prominent party members proclaiming he’ll be Canada’s next prime minister, party unity seems to be holding strong, even as some contentious issues are back on party members’ priority lists.
Tonight, Poilievre will be angling to fire up the most faithful Conservatives in a similar way as he’s sought to do during his “axe the tax” cross-Canada rallies this summer.
He will be joined in that effort by his wife Anaida Poilievre, who is expected to introduce her husband, as she’s been doing as part of a massive advertising campaign appearing on voters’ televisions and phone screens for the last month.
In advance of his address, his office has released to media a trio of excerpts from the speech.
Based on these pre-provided remarks, Poilievre will be using this speech to frame the next election as a choice between: “A common-sense Conservative government” that frees people and makes life more affordable and safe, or “a reckless coalition of Trudeau and the NDP” that will tax you and release “crime and chaos in your neighbourhood.”
He’ll also pledge to axe both the carbon tax and now what he’s calling “the inflation tax,” and balance the federal budget. However, for that pledge, no timeline is offered in the snippet shared in advance.
An hour ahead of when Poilievre is expected to take the stage, the room is already starting to fill, with some supporters seated on the stage and others in the audience being provided with signs to wave.
CTV News is carrying Poilievre’s speech to the Conservative caucus live across platforms, and will be providing live updates below, as soon as the event gets underway.